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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22449976">Cast a Spell</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fireborn/pseuds/Fireborn'>Fireborn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Banter, Canon-Typical Violence, Dragons, Established Relationship, Fanart, Fantasy, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kingdom Hearts III - Re Mind DLC Spoilers, M/M, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Symphony of Sorcery (Kingdom Hearts)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 14:40:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>88,842</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22449976</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fireborn/pseuds/Fireborn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <br/>
  <i>“It's an adventure!” Sora let his keyblade disappear and stepped forward to take Riku's hand, warm and calloused and familiar in his. “Our first adventure as boyfriends. Isn't that great?”</i>
</p><p> <br/>Or: in which Sora and Riku suddenly find themselves back in the Symphony of Sorcery. And this time, the world has a daunting task for them...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>175</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>265</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A thousand thanks to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a> for designing... our magical friends here &lt;33333333</p><p>Also, for this story I am once again doing a collab with the amazing, amazing <a href="https://twitter.com/KeyKidRetto">Retto</a>. They'll be making a number of illustration for this story for later chapters, and I'm not worthy... Please go and tell them how wonderful they are!</p><p>Also, as always, thanks to the wonderful <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/greeneggs101">greeneggs101</a> for the beta!</p><p>Full disclosure: I am posting this story as I write it, which will probably mean a chapter every 3-ish weeks. If you want to wait until it's finished to binge it, I completely understand!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Sora!”</p><p>Someone was shaking Sora’s shoulder in a rather annoying way, making him feel like he was on the bumpy train ride to the Mysterious Tower. </p><p>“Hmmm, go ‘way,” Sora mumbled, but the shaking didn't stop.</p><p>“C'mon, Sora…” The voice now sounded more exasperated than anything. It also sounded like...</p><p>“Riku?”</p><p>Sora opened his eyes to an overwhelmingly bright cerulean sky filled with seagulls. That is, he could <em>hear</em> the seagulls but not see them, because the sun was so bright that it temporarily blinded him and made him unable to see anything for a long few seconds. He turned on his side, mostly to get away from the glaring light above, and blinked until shapes and colours came into vision.</p><p>The shapes and colours of his boyfriend, as it turned out. Riku was wearing dark grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt, the outfit he always wore to bed. Sora glanced down at himself to confirm that yeah, he was wearing his navy shorts and red t-shirt, which checked out. They were both barefoot.</p><p>“Sora, are you okay?” Riku sounded a little worried, like he was seeing Nightmare Dream Eaters everywhere, which made Sora panic a little in turn. He quickly sat up, ignoring the pang in his abdominal muscles at the sudden movement, and looked around himself.</p><p>But the entire scene was as peaceful as could be. There was a light sea breeze rustling through the leaves of the coconut trees behind them, and the sand beneath his bare calves and hands was just the right kind of summer-warm temperature. The light was a little bright, yes, but all in all, nothing to be worried about.</p><p>They were clearly in one of Sora’s dreams. Right?</p><p>“Yeah, I’m okay,” Sora said, turning to Riku, who was looking him up and down as if Sora had sprouted a pair of horns. </p><p>Wait. </p><p>He reached up to pat his head. “I don’t have horns, do I?”</p><p>“Horns?” Riku’s voice was a little high, so Sora double-checked the top of his head. No horns, as far as he could tell. “No, I don’t— Sora, where <em>are</em> we?”</p><p>Sora took another sweeping look at his surroundings. Behind the trees, he could make out familiar rock formations and a tapered, heavy timber wood constructed tower he would recognise anywhere.</p><p>“We’re on the Destiny Islands?” Sora asked rhetorically.</p><p>“Yeah,” Riku said, but he still sounded confused. “The play island, obviously. But how did we get here?”</p><p>“What do you mean, how did we get here? Did you hit your head when you dream dived?” Sora asked, reaching out a hand to brush across the silky hair at the back of Riku’s head, checking for a lump. Riku let him, but his face settled into a petulant little frown, which was actually rather adorable.</p><p>“No, I didn’t hit my head,” Riku said. “At least, I don’t think so. But the drop didn’t feel <em>right</em>, Sora. This isn’t one of your nightmares.”</p><p>“No, I don’t think so either,” Sora said. Satisfied with the lack of bumps on Riku’s head, he withdrew his hand. “But you can also drop into my regular dreams, right?”</p><p>Riku nodded once, then shook his head. “Yeah, but usually only when you like…intentionally pull me in. And then it feels…gentle. Deliberate. Now, my head is spinning — that drop was not like a normal drop.”</p><p>Hmm, now that Riku mentioned it, Sora had a bit of a headache as well, and his shoulders were tense in a way that he hadn’t experienced in a dream since his forced dream during the Mark of Mastery… Wait—</p><p>“Does this feel like the dream from our exam to you?”</p><p>Riku’s eyes widened. He reached for Sora’s hand, grabbing it a little too tight, and Sora knew what he was thinking. During their exam, they’d gotten separated. But now, after everything was finally over and done with, and they could relax at the Tower, bask in world peace and doing things normal teenage boys did (it involved a lot of kissing), they had promised each other that they’d never go on separate missions for longer than a few days ever again. </p><p>What if this was the beginning of another storm, another thing designed to tear them apart against their will?</p><p>Sora covered both their hands with the palm of his other hand and shook his head. “We don’t know what’s going to happen. This might be something completely different.”</p><p>Riku didn’t look so sure. “It does <em>feel</em> like our Mark of Mastery exam. It’s the same…wrongness. I can’t explain it.”</p><p>Sora scrambled to his feet, pulling Riku up with him. He stepped closer, and even though he was worried, too, he gave Riku his best sunshine smile in reassurance. “Come on. We won’t know until we explore this place, right?” </p><p>“I suppose you’re right.”</p><p>Sora reluctantly let go of Riku’s hand, but he made sure to stick close by and not let Riku out of his sight. “Let’s start by checking the paopu tree, okay?” </p><p>They used the indents in the wall to climb up and made their way through the tunnel in the rock formations, which they had all but gotten too big for. Riku had to slide through on his elbows, dragging himself over the rough stone, and Sora winced a little in sympathy. At least he himself was small enough still to crawl through on his hands and feet, though only barely. </p><p>Suddenly, when they were nearing the end of the tunnel, Riku stopped, and Sora almost bumped right into his feet.</p><p>“Uh, Riku?” </p><p>“Wait,” came Riku’s voice, a little muffled. “I think I hear something.”</p><p>Sora remained very still, and after a few moments of holding his breath, he heard it too. The dull clang clang of wood on wood. A sound he’d never forget. </p><p>“There are kids playfighting here?” </p><p>In front of him, Riku did a neat trick where he grabbed onto a branch in front of the tunnel and spun himself outside, out of Sora’s view. Sora crawled forward and crouched in the tunnel opening as best he could, before dropping himself to the ground next to Riku.</p><p>They shared a quick look to affirm the other was okay, and then Riku slowly edged forward to peek over the thick shrubs in front of them.</p><p>Sora followed and raised himself a little to see what was happening on the tiny beach and— </p><p>He gasped. </p><p>“Sh!” Riku shushed, and Sora snapped his mouth shut. </p><p>There, on the beach in front of him, so well visible there was absolutely no doubt about it, were two much younger versions of Riku and Sora, each with a wooden sword in hand. </p><p>“Whoa,” Sora said in a low whisper. “What?”</p><p>“Maybe it is your dream after all?” Riku asked. “Or did we somehow travel to the past? Or a different timeline?” </p><p>“I have no idea…” Sora said quietly, shifting a little closer to Riku, so he could feel the warmth coming off him through two layers of shirts. It was familiar and reassuring.</p><p>Both of them remained quiet for a few moments, just watching the scene on the beach unfold.</p><p>Until Riku chuckled quietly next to him. “Huh. You were actually not half-bad.”</p><p>“Hey!” Sora bumped his shoulder, and let out a deep mock-frustrated sigh. Then he gave Riku a soft smile. “You know, I learned from the best. I remember how patient you were when you taught me.”</p><p>Riku turned to him with that fond, tender smile that Sora loved so much, the one that Riku only ever gave <em>him</em>. “I tried. You were a handful.”</p><p>“Were?” Sora winked, making Riku snort. </p><p>“Are,” Riku sighed.</p><p>“I try.” Then Sora pushed himself up to his feet, and he was about to take a step forward when Riku — still crouched — grabbed his hand. </p><p>“Sora, we can’t just walk up to them!” </p><p>“Why not?” Sora pouted, a little put off about having been stopped.</p><p>“They’ll recognise us. We’ve grown, but your hair still looks the same. Mine kinda does too.”</p><p>“Oh, hmmm.” Riku had a good point. “Oh, I’ve got an idea!” </p><p>Sora reached into the pocket of his shorts, knowing what he’d find there: the hair tie he’d taken out of Riku’s hair earlier that night so he could card his fingers through it as Riku drifted off to sleep. It came in handy now. </p><p>He gestured for Riku to turn around, and Sora reached up and brushed practised fingers through the smooth strands, drawing them back and then tying them up into a neat little ponytail. He stepped back to admire his work.</p><p>“There! All done!” </p><p>“What about you?” Riku said, turning back to face Sora and lifting a hand to his hair to feel the base of the ponytail before nodding with a small smile.</p><p>Sora pondered this for a second. Then he summoned his Ultima keyblade. “Donald has been teaching me how to do world order spells. I can turn myself into a pirate now!”</p><p>“You are gonna…turn yourself into a pirate…” Riku said slowly.</p><p>“Yeah!” Sora closed his eyes and focused really hard on the world magic Donald had spent countless hours teaching him (with a patience weirdly unfamiliar to Sora). Then, Sora pictured the look he wanted: the intricately detailed buttons on his maroon-coloured, velvet vest. The crown symbol on his tri-corner hat. The weight of his heavy leather coat. The magic came to him easily, especially with his most powerful keyblade in his hand, and after a few seconds, he opened his eyes. </p><p>He grinned at Riku, and he didn’t need to look down at himself to check — judging by the way Riku’s mouth dropped open and his eyes darkened just slightly, Sora knew he’d succeeded.</p><p>His grin turned into a smirk, and Riku honest to god <em>blushed</em>. Sora would need to remember this for another time. Making Riku blush had become one of his favourite peacetime pastimes. But now he…needed to focus, sadly. He let his keyblade disappear.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I can only transform <em>myself</em> with this spell when we're not in the world itself… Donald hasn’t taught me how to change others yet… I guess I'm kind of stealing — borrowing? — this look now.”</p><p>Riku huffed and shook his head a little, the ponytail flowing from left to right with the movement. “It’s fine. I’m good like this.”</p><p>“Anyway,” Sora grinned. “This plan is foolproof. We loved pirates when we were little. They’ll not see beyond my disguise. And if they don’t recognise me, they won’t recognise you either!” </p><p>Riku shook his head. “Your logic never ceases to amaze me.”</p><p>“Thanks!” </p><p>“That wasn’t a compl—” </p><p>But Sora had already jumped over the shrubs in front of them, to start making his way across the beach. He heard Riku curse behind him, and when he looked back, Riku had somehow gotten his sweatpants stuck in the thorns. Sora snickered just a little. Soft enough that Riku wouldn’t hear.</p><p>“C’mon, you lazy bum.”</p><p>Riku managed to tear himself free with a scowl, and Sora waited for him to catch up. He touched the back of Riku's hand with his fingers, just lightly, for comfort.</p><p>By then, young Sora and young Riku had stopped fighting and were both staring at them. Young Sora had lowered his sword to rest the tip in the sand, but Sora was amused to see young Riku holding his up in their direction. Guess whatever version of them these kids were, at least this young Riku was the same. Always looking out with enough vigilance for both of them.</p><p>They made their way over, and Sora tried to walk how a pirate walked to make himself more convincing. But…how did a pirate walk? He’d spent a lot of time around Jack, but somehow he hadn’t ever really thought to take a good look.</p><p>Ah well. Guess his normal walk would have to do.</p><p>Young Sora was staring at him, which made Sora a little uneasy. Would the boy recognise him? He was sure he’d done the world order spell right, and Riku would’ve told him if he hadn’t, but—</p><p>“You’re a pirate!” young Sora exclaimed, as soon as Sora and Riku were within earshot. </p><p>“I sure am!” Sora said brightly, before realising he might need to deepen his voice a little. He frowned. He never used to think about things like these before, so why did these thoughts pop into his head now? </p><p>“My name is S—” Sora bit his tongue. “Simon. This is… Ralph.” Next to him, Riku hid a snicker behind a hand, pretending it was a cough. Sora ignored him. “He’s a pirate, too, even though he doesn’t look like one.”</p><p>“I’m Riku,” the little silver-haired boy said, lowering his sword. “This is Sora. He’s my best friend.”</p><p>“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” young Sora said, and Sora blinked a little at the strange sensation that bashfully earnest greeting sent into his chest. He remembered his mother teaching him that phrase, explaining that that’s what he should say when he met new people. It was sort of like an out-of-body experience, seeing himself as he had been 12 years ago.</p><p>“Are you best friends, too?” young Sora asked, his gaze open and curious, and he was smiling brightly.</p><p>“Yes,” Riku said, at the same time Sora said, “No, he’s my boyfriend.”</p><p>Young Riku’s eyes widened comically. “You’re boyfriends?”</p><p>Young Sora turned to his friend. “What’s that mean?” And then, when young Riku remained silent, his open gaze flicking from Riku to Sora and back half a dozen times, “Rikuuuuuuuu, what does that meaaaaaan?”</p><p>Young Riku looked back at his friend, his expression unreadable. “It means they <em>like</em> each other.”</p><p>“Best friends like each other, too,” Sora said excitedly. “I like you!”</p><p>Young Riku turned bright red, and at his side, Sora felt his own Riku freeze. Deciding he should probably step in before either Riku would feel more embarrassed, Sora took a step forward, spreading his arms out.</p><p>“It’s like your mom and dad like each other. That’s what it means to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Then you can hold hands and sleep in the same bed, and you always want to be together.”</p><p>Sora could see the gears turning in his younger self’s head.</p><p>“Like me and Riku!” he exclaimed, clearly happy with the conclusion he reached.</p><p>“Uhm,” Sora said, not really sure how he could explain that it wasn’t (yet, at least). “Most people are older when they get a boyfriend or a girlfriend. They’ll do other things too, like kiss.”</p><p>“Ewww,” Young Sora said, scrunching up his face before it smoothed back into his thinking expression again. “So one day I will have a boyfriend too?”</p><p>Sora was debating how to reply to that without giving anything away (he was pretty sure that’s how time or world or dream travelling worked, whatever this was), but then young Sora <em>beamed</em>, seemingly pleased with the idea, and Sora didn’t have the heart to tell him ‘maybe’ or ‘it could be a girlfriend, too’ when he knew that if this Sora was anything like him, there would not be a girlfriend. And with the way this young Riku was watching his best friend intently, Sora figured it might not be a maybe, either. So Sora merely managed a nod.</p><p>Then, the conversation took an unexpected turn.</p><p>“Do you think the dragon has a boyfriend, too?”</p><p>Young Riku froze, before taking Sora’s left hand with his free one, making them look at each other. “Sora! You promised we’d keep it a secret!”</p><p>“Oops.” Young Sora flushed and lowered his gaze. “‘M sorry, Riku…”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Riku said from Sora’s side, lifting his arms in a reassuring gesture. “We’re your friends. You can tell us about the dragon.”</p><p>Young Sora and young Riku shared a look and seemed to have an unspoken conversation that lasted for at least twenty seconds. Sora turned to Riku, who shrugged and let one corner of his mouth curl up in a semi-grin in a “guess we used to do that, huh” gesture. </p><p>When Sora looked back to the boys in front of them, young Riku seemed to have reached a conclusion.</p><p>“Okay,” he said, still a little hesitant.</p><p>“Oh, yay!” young Sora said with a little jump. “The dragon is our new friend!” </p><p>“Where is this…dragon?” Riku asked. </p><p>“He’s in the Secret Place,” young Riku answered. “He appeared a few days ago. But he’s stuck there. He’s too big to get out the front opening, and we can't get him out…”</p><p>“So we’ve been bringing him food!” young Sora added. “We bring him apples and peanut butter sandwiches every day. And he likes to cuddle!”</p><p>“But…” young Riku said quietly. “I also think he’s sad… And… We can’t tell our parents because I don't think they'd believe us… Can you help him?”</p><p>“We’ll try,” Riku said solemnly. “Can you show us where he is?” </p><p>The young boys shared another look, and then set off as one, swords still in their hands. Sand was kicked up all around them as they rushed off in the direction of the Secret Place. Peals of young Sora’s laughter filled the air, as he got a little bit of a head start on his friend. “Race ya there, Riku!” </p><p>Sora stayed frozen in place for long seconds, only shaken out of his reverie by Riku touching gentle fingers to his elbow. “Hey. You okay?” </p><p>Sora nodded. “Yeah. It’s just…weird, you know? Seeing myself, seeing <em>us</em>, from when we were so little. I was so…”</p><p>“Happy?”</p><p>Sora chucked. “I was gonna say naive.”</p><p>“You were <em>four</em>.”</p><p>“Yeah, okay…”</p><p>“Besides, that’s what I remember most about those days. How kind and open and joyful you always were. And still are, always.”</p><p>“Awww, Riku!” The weird melancholy feeling was still there, lingering in his chest, but Riku’s other hand came up to brush gently across his cheek, and that helped. </p><p>“Now, let’s follow them and check out this ‘dragon’.”</p><p>“You don’t think it’s a dragon?” </p><p>“Sora, we don’t even know where we are. <em>When</em> we are. I suppose a dragon wouldn’t surprise me in the least.”</p><p>That was a fair point, Sora thought.</p><p>They followed their younger selves to the Secret Place, both of them needing to stoop to squeeze in there. Young Riku and Sora had already rushed in, and as soon as Sora stood up straight, and his eyes had adjusted to the dark, he saw both boys petting the dragon’s nose and jaw with eager hands.</p><p>And yes, it was definitely a dragon, no doubt about it. It — no, <em>he</em>, Sora knew suddenly — raised its head to look at them, his eyes almost glowing in the dark of the cave.</p><p>He was the size of a large car, sooty black and bright red, and covered in fur instead of the scales Sora had come to expect after seeing…well, he hadn't seen many dragons in his journeys. Only Maleficent's Dragon form. Mushu didn't really count, although Sora would never say that out loud to him. Sora couldn't see how large the wings were since the dragon was lying down, his wings folded against his sides. But his tail was almost as long as the body itself, and the dragon's horns were particularly impressive, large and curled against his cheeks. Cheeks which were also adorned with bright red and orange feathers below his ears.</p><p>While young Riku stroked one hand delicately across the dragon’s snout, young Sora moved to his side and wrapped small arms around one of the front legs, burying his face into the dragon’s fur. “Hello again!”</p><p>“Uhhh,” Sora raised a hand towards the dragon, not sure if he should step in or call his keyblade or do something else. “Is this safe? Should we do something?” </p><p>Young Riku looked up. “He won’t hurt us. He likes us.”</p><p>Young Sora’s giggles filled the damp cave air, and the dragon turned his face to dart out a long, slightly forked tongue to run over young Sora’s face and then his hair. </p><p>The boy let out a high-pitched little giggle and pulled back to look at the dragon. Sora watched in amusement as the dragon spent long moments licking young Sora’s hair down, but no matter how often he did, it sprang right back up again. Young Sora giggled again, clapping his hands. “Again, again!”</p><p>By Sora’s side, Riku laughed too, but before Sora could turn to look at Riku, he could swear he felt a vague rush of frustration not his own. The dragon lowered his eyes and grumbled a little, and Sora could swear that it looked a confused kind of frustrated.</p><p>But before he could process this further, Riku stepped forward, approaching the dragon with his hands out. “Hey, buddy. How did you get here?”</p><p>Sora didn’t expect a reply (could dragons talk?), but somehow, at that moment, an image of the door in the Secret Place popped into his head. He snapped his gaze to the actual door, and then back to the dragon, his eyes widening.</p><p>“Yeah,” young Riku said. “He must have come through the door… From another world. Sora and I tried to open it, but we can’t. The door is stuck again.’”</p><p>“That’s okay,” Riku told him softly. “I think maybe that’s why we’re here. So we can help the dragon get back to his own world.”</p><p>“Yeah, Sora said. “We’ve got special…keys to open all kinds of doors.”</p><p>“Can we come, too?” young Riku asked, holding up his wooden sword. “We can help!”</p><p>Riku crouched in front of his younger self to brush a hand over his hair, a small smile on his face. “Thank you for the offer.”</p><p>Young Sora moved closer, coming to stand to his best friend's side, and Riku reached out with his other hand to stroke across the spikes as well — even though they would probably still have been wet with dragon spit. </p><p>“But you guys should protect this island,” Riku continued. “That's an important job, too! Me and...Simon will go and take care of what’s behind the door. I’m afraid we’ll need to take the dragon with us, though.”</p><p>“That's okay,” young Sora said, bringing a hand to cover his heart. “I know he doesn't really belong here. I can feel it. And we're friends now, and friends always stay in each other's hearts.”</p><p>“That’s right,” Riku said.</p><p>Sora moved forward to stand by Riku's side.</p><p>“It's true. Friends always stay in each other’s hearts. And I’m sure he’s really grateful for everything you’ve done for him. Do you wanna say goodbye?”</p><p>“Yeah,” young Sora and young Riku said in unison. They turned to the dragon to both hug him around the neck. The dragon let out a low rumbling noise that somehow was both sad and reassuring.</p><p>“Oh, wait,” young Riku suddenly said. “You can take our backpack. We’ve got some snacks and some water. Sora’s mom gave it to us. But I think you'll need it more.”</p><p>He handed young Sora his sword and ran off. When he came back moments later, he was carrying a bright blue backpack with a paopu fruit on it, which he handed to Riku.</p><p>“Thank you,” Sora said with a hand on his chest. “But don't you need it, too?” </p><p>“It's okay,” young Riku said before he smirked a little in a way that was so familiar that Sora's breath caught a little. “I'll just tell Sora's mom that Sora knocked it overboard, into the ocean.”</p><p>“Hey!” young Sora said with a pout, stamping his foot. “That's not fair!”</p><p>“It's a joke, Sora,” his friend said, moving to his side and taking his hand. “I won't really tell your mom that.”</p><p>“Ohhhh. Okay.” Fascinatingly quickly, young Sora's face went from pout to smile at his friend's soft words. Sora could relate, which wasn't strange, considering these boys <em>were</em> them. Had been them? Could have been them? It was all a little confusing.</p><p>Sora turned to look at Riku, and Riku nodded at him. “Ready?”</p><p>“Yeah.” </p><p>They raised their hands in unison, both calling on their keyblades, before pointing them towards the door, on which a keyhole appeared. Sora gave a last wave to the boys holding hands in the centre of the cave. Then the cave disappeared, and the next thing Sora knew, he was standing in the clearing of a forest. It was nighttime, but the moon was full, illuminating the world around them.</p><p>For a second, Sora felt an all-too-familiar panic, but when he glanced around and his gaze landed on Riku, crouched on his left knee next to him, the feeling faded. Riku was here, too. That meant everything would be okay.</p><p>Sora did a full 360, but the door they had come through had disappeared. Figured.</p><p>Then, his gaze landed on the dragon, which had landed a few feet from Sora and Riku. He inclined his head just once, and a thankful feeling spread through Sora's chest. As Sora reached out a hand to pull Riku to his knees, the dragon spread his wings and lifted himself off the ground.</p><p>“Hey, wait!” Sora called, taking a few steps forward, but the dragon didn’t look back as it flew off into the night sky, getting smaller and smaller until it was all but invisible. “Great…”</p><p>Sora turned to Riku, and only then did he realise their outfits had changed when they entered this world. “Whoa!”</p><p>Riku looked down at himself, twisting this way and that. He was wearing a long-sleeved hooded tunic that almost reached his knees. It was hard to tell the colour in the dark, but it seemed to be a sort of pine green, with yellow embroidered cuffs. It had buttons down the front and a broad dark brown belt around the waist. He was wearing trousers underneath, and boots a little higher than his ankles.</p><p>“Did you do this?” Riku asked.</p><p>Sora shook his head. “No. Well, not deliberately at least. It must be the world magic from this world? I suppose it makes us blend in?”</p><p>He glanced down to see he was wearing a similar outfit to Riku's, only his tunic was mahogany red, with blue cuffs. It had a hood, too, as well as a belt and boots just like Riku's. </p><p>“I wonder what kind of world this is… Do you recognise it?”</p><p>Riku looked around, taking in the dark pine trees all around them. “It doesn't look familiar. But I kind of do feel like… I've been here before?”</p><p>Sora nodded slowly. He didn't know why, but he had the same feeling.</p><p>“Well, whatever this place is… We must have come here for a reason, right? We should go and explore!” Sora held up his hand, palm-up, and with just the same rush as usual, Ultima appeared in his hand. He smiled. “Well, this feels familiar, at least.”</p><p>Riku mirrored his posture, and Braveheart materialised. “Maybe someone or something called us here?”</p><p>“It's an adventure!” Sora let his keyblade disappear and stepped forward to take Riku's hand, warm and calloused and familiar in his. “Our first adventure as boyfriends. Isn't that great?”</p><p>Riku still looked a little hesitant, a little scared maybe? But Sora squeezed his hand, and Riku's frown disappeared when he looked down at Sora.</p><p>“Okay, you're right. It is pretty exciting…” Riku gave a small smile. “So, Sora. Where to?”</p><p>Sora looked around himself, but there was really nothing to go on. He looked in the direction the dragon had flown off and contemplated the faint tug in his heart. Was it the dragon? Or something else? “That way, I guess? We'll end up somewhere!”</p><p>“Hm,” Riku snorted fondly. “I'm sure we will.”</p>
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  <p>-- Dragon art by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a></p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Beginnings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Small warning, Sora is underage by this world's rules and there's some alcohol (one glass) involved in this chapter, but it's nothing bad. It's a small moment, and they both handle it responsibly.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The forest was beautiful, <em>enchanting</em>, even in the dark. Since they set out, Sora and Riku had been following a path of sorts, trampled leaves beneath their feet and the smell of pines all around them. Sometimes Sora held Riku’s hand — because he would never get tired of holding Riku’s hand — and sometimes he let go to investigate parts of the unfamiliar, otherworldly scenery from up-close. </p><p>There were large flowers, some as tall as Sora, with petals so bright they seemed to glow in the dark — purple, pink and yellow. There were meandering brooks all around them, glistening brightly in the moonlight, the babbling sounds a comfort in this unfamiliar place. And there were strange animals that Sora had never seen before; oversized moss green moths with silver wings, technicolour hedgehogs that shuffled their way through the grass, and owls that drifted on small bopping clouds high up in the sky.</p><p>“It’s magic,” Sora breathed happily, turning back to Riku with his arms spread in delight. </p><p>Riku had been frowning a little, but he perked up instantly when he caught sight of Sora. “It is, isn’t it?”</p><p>With a reassuring smile, Sora bounded back over and took Riku’s hand in his again. He understood Riku’s reservations, and this understanding made him touch fewer of the strange things than he would have otherwise, but the forest didn’t feel <em>bad</em> or anything. It just felt…<em>magical.</em></p><p>And magic was the power Sora loved most of all. He loved swinging around a keyblade too, but there was something awe-inspiring about being able to just raise his arm and have thunder come crashing from the sky or to put a hand against someone’s bruise and have it fade away under his fingers just by muttering a single word. </p><p>Sora was <em>good</em> at magic. With crystal clarity, he remembered the day he stood outside the Mysterious Tower and summoned a magical carousel with barely any effort. It was one of the handful of times he’d seen Master Yen Sid, King Mickey, Aqua <em>and</em> Riku all speechless. (Riku had been the quickest to recover, and the smile blossoming on his face as he shook his head in disbelief had been proud). All in all, that had been a memorable moment.</p><p>He loved using grand magic most of all. It was a power he had acquired sometime during his Mark of Mastery, and he knew Riku had it too. There was something exhilarating about the rush of Waterza flowing out of him, or the blazing flames of Firaza. Sora didn’t think he’d ever get tired of it. He and Riku could even <em>share</em> their magic over the Dream Eater link, and their shared magic had only gotten more powerful since they became boyfriends, their link suddenly amplified tenfold, as if all remaining barriers between them had just disappeared.</p><p>Subconsciously, Sora gave a little skip.</p><p>“You’re happy,” Riku stated.</p><p>“Yeah,” Sora replied. “I feel…<em>happy</em> here. Like I’m meant to be here.”</p><p>“What…” Riku paused, and Sora turned to him. “Why would you say that?” </p><p>Sora shrugged, briefly squeezing Riku’s hand. “Cause that’s what I feel.”</p><p>Riku studied him intently for a few moments, before giving a little smile. “Okay.”</p><p>They walked for what felt like hours — although realistically it had probably not been more than 45 minutes. Sora had checked his gummiphone shortly after they set out, but for some reason, the screen had frozen on the lock screen, and no amount of shaking and button pressing would make his phone go on again. </p><p>The screen showed an unchanging 11:23 pm and the background picture Sora had taken only three short months ago, his favourite: he and Riku pressed close together, cheek to cheek. Sora was grinning widely, a flash of teeth and his eyes nearly closed, while Riku was wearing the softest of smiles, his eyes slightly narrowed, crinkled in the way Sora loved so much.</p><p>The picture had been taken the day after their mutual confession. A confession that hadn’t been a surprise to Sora, not <em>really</em>, because they had been <em>close</em> — too close, for friends, even best friends — ever since their return from Shibuya. It had taken them weeks to complete the gentle slide from soft little smiles, to holding hands and holding <em>each other</em> under the covers of Riku’s (their) double bed, to Sora blurting out one night that he thought of Riku <em>all the time.</em></p><p>Riku had blushed brighter than the tomato soup they’d had for dinner and stammered through a tearful confession that Sora would replay in his mind forever. </p><p><em>I love you— Sora— you’re my light, my </em>everything<em>. I would do </em>anything <em>for you. </em></p><p>And like Sora already knew, it turned out there were few things easier in the world than loving Riku.</p><p>Even now, when Riku was thinking so hard Sora could practically <em>hear</em> his thoughts churning.</p><p>He tugged on Riku’s hand a little. “What’s wrong?” </p><p>“You mean, apart from the fact that we fell asleep, somehow ended up on the Destiny Islands, met our younger selves and a <em>dragon</em>, and then stepped through a glowing keyhole to find ourselves in an enchanting forest in the middle of the night?” </p><p>Sora nodded solemnly, turning his body to catch Riku’s eyes in the dark. “Yeah, apart from that?”</p><p>Riku snorted before falling silent again. Sora waited patiently (well, he tried very hard to be patient, at least). Riku’s best thoughts often came after he had been silent a while before. </p><p>Eventually, Riku spoke up again. “I know you feel like you’re meant to be here, but does this place also feel <em>familiar</em> to you?”</p><p>Sora opened his mouth to answer <em>no</em> but then thought better of it. Instead, he turned his attention inwards, to his heart. Everyone always told him to follow his heart, and now that he knew it was completely his own again, he had been trying to be even more aware of it. It often led him to good places. It had led him to <em>Riku</em>, time and again. </p><p>He hummed, trying to place the feeling that buzzed around in his chest. It was the buzz of an insistent fly that just wouldn’t leave, no matter how often you swatted at it. Too active to let itself be slapped away, too lazy to go bug someone else. So instead, Sora focused on the feeling underneath the buzz, the excited restlessness, and tried to let it wash over him.</p><p>“There’s…” Sora closed his eyes for a long moment, overcome by a sudden sensation of recognition. “There’s a tug here that feels familiar.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Riku said after a pause. “I feel it too. I can’t place it. And I can’t stop thinking about it.”</p><p>They jumped over a small river into a moonlit clearing, and before Sora could ask more, half a dozen of Nightmare Kooma Panda’s appeared. It was years of pure battle instinct that made Sora’s keyblade materialise into his hand the second he let go of Riku’s — before he’d even realised what was happening or the implications of the fact that these were <em>Dream Eaters</em>?</p><p>With a quick look at Riku, who had quickly put down their backpack and crouched into his battle stance with Braveheart firmly held in front of him, Sora propelled himself off the ground and rushed forward, striking two of the Nightmares with one stroke of his blade before spinning and letting it crash down on a third one with his keyblade in both arms. </p><p>Riku was to his right, a dark green blur with shimmering silver hair, and they fought side by side to get rid of the Nightmares. The creatures weren’t that strong, but they were a bit of a nuisance because they were so <em>large</em>. </p><p>That didn't really matter, though. Mostly, Sora was reminded of how it was always so much <em>fun</em> to fight with Riku.</p><p>With a cheerful whoop, he raised his keyblade to the skies and sent a powerful wave of Water down on the remaining Nightmares on his side of the battlefield. It came out as a particularly powerful spell, and he instantly knew it had taken down well over half their health.</p><p>That made him smirk, and he was so proud of himself for a moment that he missed the familiar high-pitched chirp.</p><p>He didn’t miss Riku’s joyful cry a few seconds later, though. “Komy!” </p><p>Sora spun around, nearly smashing his keyblade into… “Paopu?” </p><p>The little Meow Wow let out a mewl and threw himself right into Sora’s arms. Sora spun them around, laughing until a Kooma Panda slammed into him from behind. </p><p>“Hey!” Sora exclaimed. “That’s rude!” </p><p>He frowned, but before he could recover, Meow Wow had doubled, then tripled in size, and Sora knew what to do — he jumped on Paopu’s back and let out a whoop of joy as his Dream Eater started bouncing around wildly, flattening most of the remaining Nightmares underfoot. </p><p>From his position on top of Meow Wow, he could see Riku and Komory Bat making quick work of the Nightmares on the right side of the clearing with a few well-timed Dark Firagas, before Riku stooped to gather the munny they'd left behind.</p><p>It didn’t take long for all of the Nightmares to be defeated. Once they were all gone, Meow Wow deflated back to his usual size, and Sora did a graceful backflip through the air, landing next to Riku with Paopu in his arms.</p><p>“Show-off.” Riku shook his head with a grin.</p><p>“Only for you,” Sora grinned back, reaching up to flatten Riku’s hair where strands of silver had fallen out of his ponytail and were now sticking up into the air. </p><p>Then he reached out to pet Komory Bat where he was perched on top of Riku’s shoulder. “Hey, little guy! It’s been so long since I saw you! Have you been a good boy?”</p><p>The excited high-pitched chirps were all the answer Sora needed.</p><p>Then he caught Riku’s poorly repressed smirk. “Paopu?”</p><p>Sora flushed and lowered his eyes, tightening his hold on the Meow Wow in his arms. “I just… I first met him when we had just gotten separated… I <em>missed</em> you. And a paopu reminded me of...you, I guess.”</p><p>Riku’s warm hands came up to cup his cheeks gently, and Sora lifted his gaze. “Hey, you don’t need to explain, I was only teasing…”</p><p>The moonlight filled the entire clearing, and everything was suddenly so <em>bright</em> — Riku was basically glowing — that Sora pushed himself on his tiptoes to press his mouth against Riku’s — a little too desperate, a little too embarrassed, but Riku instantly relaxed against him and kissed him back. </p><p>They had gotten <em>so good</em> at kissing… It was a shame they couldn’t do this all day long… They’d had a few days in which they just stayed in bed and tried all the way in which they could fit together and kiss and touch — but now they were in the middle of a forest, in an unfamiliar world, with a million questions. It wasn’t really the time <em>or</em> the place now, sadly. </p><p>Sora sighed against Riku’s lips, and they pulled apart a little.</p><p>Suddenly, Sora’s eyes widened. Paopu and Komy had not appeared in his dream (or wherever they were) before, not since the Mark of Mastery. “Those were <em>Nightmares</em>.”</p><p>He rocked back on his heels and took in the look on Riku’s face. Riku didn’t look shocked in the least, and Sora frowned.</p><p>“Nightmares?” he repeated, too loud in the small space between them. “Here? What does that mean? Where <em>are</em> we?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Riku said, letting Sora go and bringing one hand to stroke across Meow Wow’s back instead. The little creature shivered in Sora’s arms. “But since our Dream Eaters have only appeared one adventure before… And we just fought a party of Nightmares…”</p><p>“We are in a dream adventure again?”</p><p>“It would seem so.”</p><p>“But then what about the Destiny Islands we ended up in? Why there? Why are we here now?” </p><p>“The worlds are all connected. What if we’re in…a sleeping world?”</p><p>Right as Riku said those words, Sora felt his chest clench, as if in answer to the question. It didn’t <em>hurt</em>, not really, but the surprise made him grip the fabric of the tunic over his heart, his other arm tightening around Paopu.</p><p>“Sora!” The worry in Riku’s voice was almost palpable. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“A sleeping world… How is that even possible? I thought they were all returned to the Realm of Light when Kingdom Hearts was summoned the first time?”</p><p>“I don’t know…” Riku paused, then his hand came up to cover Sora’s against his chest, the other stroking away bangs from Sora’s forehead, warm fingers against Sora’s suddenly clammy skin. “How do you feel?”</p><p>“Like someone threw a fishing hook into my heart and is pulling very hard on the reel…” Sora fought against the urge to double over. Instead, he forced himself to focus on the way Riku was drawing soothing circles across the back on his hand with his thumb. “Is it someone who needs us? What if they pulled us in here with them?”</p><p>“You know what, that wouldn’t surprise me at all,” Riku said, shaking his head with a smile. “Your heart always does the most amazing things.”</p><p>Sora looked up at him, suddenly bashful. “Rikuuuuuu.” </p><p>“It’s true. You protected Ven, and Roxas, and Xion. And Kairi.” </p><p>“That was just—”</p><p>“And you fell in love with <em>me</em>.”</p><p>Sora’s mouth fell open, and he felt his cheeks heat up with more than bashfulness now. </p><p>“I’d say that was pretty amazing…” Riku muttered, blushing a little himself.</p><p>“I know what you’re doing,” Sora said with a little pout. “You’re trying to distract me.”</p><p>Riku’s mouth curved up into a little smirk, although Sora could also still see the clear worry behind it. “Is it working?”</p><p>Sora stepped forwards, against Riku’s strong, solid chest, and relaxed as he felt Riku’s arms wrap around him. He nuzzled against the slightly rough cotton of Riku’s tunic. “Maybe… This is, too…”</p><p>“Well, whatever is going on, we’re bound to find answers eventually, if we keep moving… Are you okay to keep going?”</p><p>“In a minute…” Sora mumbled, more than happy to just stand here in Riku’s warm embrace for a little while longer.</p><p>Eventually, Meow Wow faded away from his arms, and when Sora lifted his head, he saw Komory Bat had also disappeared. He sighed deeply. This was probably their cue.</p><p>“Okay,” he said, leaning up for another brief kiss, just because he could, because he liked how Riku always met him halfway. “Let’s go.”</p><p>As they walked, the tugging feeling in his chest gradually diminished, and it was another thirty minutes, give or take, before the forest started to thin a little, and they came upon a hillside overlooking a scattering of lights visible in the valley below. The valley was flanked by two wide rivers, the noise of the rapidly flowing water overwhelming in the rest of the quiet night.</p><p>When Sora looked closely, he noticed the elegant red dragon that had come with them perched on top of the largest building in the town. “Hey, it’s him!” </p><p>“You’re right,” Riku said. “Did he lead us here?” </p><p>“What does he want?”</p><p>The question hadn’t fully left Sora’s mouth before he was hit with the mental image of a fireplace and a cramped room filled with people talking and drinking from large mugs. He gasped and turned to Riku. The look on Riku’s face told him Riku had seen the same thing. </p><p>A vision?</p><p>“Let’s go explore!” Sora exclaimed, bounding forward. “Race you to the town’s entrance, Riku!” </p><p>Sora arrived at the town’s gate well before Riku, but only because Riku just walked down the path instead, letting Sora run ahead. It was not like Riku to turn down the offer of a race, though, and Sora was frowning a little when Riku finally made it, too.</p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p>Riku nodded, then smiled. “We don’t all have the energy of a baby deer.”</p><p>“Hey!” Sora said, before dramatically throwing himself into Riku’s arms because he could and Riku would catch him. “Teenage deer, at <em>least</em>.”</p><p>Riku pressed his lips against Sora’s hair for a moment and mumbled a quick apology.</p><p>They approached the gate, which was closed, but the guards were friendly enough as they asked them where they were headed. </p><p>“The town’s inn,” Riku said resolutely. “To stay the night.”</p><p>“It’s lucky you made it here,” one of the guards said, as she moved to unlock the doorway in the gate. “It’s dangerous out there in the dark. You're lucky that those evil creatures didn't get you!”</p><p>“Evil creatures?” Sora asked. “Oh! You mean the Nightmares?”</p><p>“I don't know what they're called. I just know they started appearing a few weeks ago.”</p><p>“Really?” Riku asked, suddenly all polite interest. “Just like that?” </p><p>“Yeah, suddenly they were there. It happened around the time that all orders and communications from the King’s Castle stopped. We’ve sent out messengers to find out what’s happening, but they haven’t returned yet. It’s all very worrying.”</p><p>Sora and Riku shared a quick look. Then, Riku looked up at the tower, where the dragon was still perched. Sora could swear it was staring at them, although it was too dark and too far away to tell.</p><p>“Do you know him?” Sora asked.</p><p>The guard followed their gazes. “That young fire dragon? No, he only arrived earlier this evening. We've never seen him before. I wonder what he's doing so far from his home territory…”</p><p>Sora tilted his head. “Home...territory?”</p><p>The guard nodded. “Yeah. Don't you know? It’s rare for dragons to leave their home province. So we mostly only get water dragons flying around here.”</p><p>Sora and Riku shared another look, but before Sora could open his mouth for a follow-up question, Riku reached out to put a hand on his shoulder with a brief shake of his head. When Sora looked back towards the guard, he saw her narrowing her eyes at them with a suspicious look on her face.</p><p>“Ah, thank you for opening the gate for us,” Riku said cheerfully, and he steered Sora towards the now open doorway. “Much obliged. Have a good evening, ma’am.”</p><p>As they made their way into the centre of the town, Riku lowered his hand, but Sora caught it in his before Riku could move further away.</p><p>“What was that?” Sora asked softly as soon as they were out of earshot.</p><p>“I didn’t wanna draw attention to us. It must already have been strange to have two boys arriving late at night, and we clearly don’t know <em>anything</em> about this world yet. Seems like the inn we're looking for would be a better place to ask around without drawing attention to ourselves?”</p><p>Sora beamed at him. Riku always did have the best ideas.</p><p>Though the town was large enough for multiple drinking establishments, it was somehow easy to find the very inn they both had a vision of when they’d been standing on the edge of the valley. It was almost as if some mysterious force guided them straight to it. One moment they were walking over cobblestones, dodging other people and carts pulled by horses even in this late hour, and the next moment they were looking up at the dark wooden sign with a golden dragon etched into it. The inn was called <em>Waterza</em>, which made Sora’s eyes widen in recognition, but before he could mention it to Riku, a pair of women brushed past them, and Riku tugged both of them inside after them, where Sora forgot all about it.</p><p>He’d been to a lot of worlds, and many of them had lively towns and bustling cities, but this was something he’d never seen before.</p><p>There were dark wooden tables and chairs crammed into the small space, the walls lined with small booths. Candles adorned every horizontal surface and a lovely fire roared towards the left-hand side, giving the room a cosy orange glow. The place was crowded — men and women seated around most of the tables, some gathered around a lute player in the corner — but not unpleasantly so. Neither Sora nor Riku liked spaces with too many people, but this was just about right. Fun, but not too much.</p><p>For a second, Sora worried about how they were going to <em>pay</em> for any of this before he remembered Riku picking up the munny left behind by the Nightmares.</p><p>“Do you think we’ll have enough for food and drinks and a room?” he asked, raising his voice over the chattering and the lute’s tunes.</p><p>“Enough what?” </p><p>“Munny, of course!” </p><p>“Oh!” Riku said, shoving his fist into his pocket to take out a handful of familiar-looking yellow-green coins. “I don’t know?” </p><p>“Give me those,” Sora held out his hand, wiggling his fingers until Riku handed the munny to him with a small eye-roll. “I’ll go and find out!”</p><p>With the coins firmly in his hand, Sora looked around the inn until he spotted a booth in the far corner of the room. Riku followed his gaze, and Sora saw him nod out of the corner of his eye. “Okay, I’ll go and get us a seat.”</p><p>Sora bounded over towards the bar. He remembered being in Corona, where there had been taverns just like this, but Donald and Goofy had not allowed him to go inside. “One day, when you’re older,” Goofy had said. </p><p>Well, he was older now, wasn’t he?</p><p>“How much for food and drinks for two?” Sora asked the barkeeper with a grin.</p><p>“Oh, hello there,” the man said with an easy smile. “For a bright young lad like you, only twenty munny for two daily specials and two pints of ale.”</p><p>“Ale?” Sora let slip before he mentally kicked himself. He was supposed to try and blend in and act natural, so they could ask around without drawing attention to themselves.</p><p>Luckily the barkeeper’s smile didn’t falter, and he winked at Sora instead. “First time here, is it?”</p><p>“Uhhhhh,” Sora said, raising his hand to rub at the back of his head in a subconscious gesture. Was this a trick question? He frowned a little, debating on the answer. “Yeah?”</p><p>“Are you here alone?”</p><p>“Oh, no! My boyfriend’s over there.” Sora pointed towards where Riku had slid onto one of the booth’s benches and was taking in everything in the inn with a relaxed, yet carefully blank expression on his face.</p><p>“Oh, then you’ll be fine,” the man said with another smile, and Sora liked him immediately. He put twenty munny on the bar, quickly calculating how much they had left.</p><p>“And how much for a room?”</p><p>“That’ll be eighty munny for the night. You’re in luck, we’ve got one room left. But it’s only got one bed.”</p><p>“Oh, we’ll take it. That’s not a problem.”</p><p>“I figured,” the barkeeper said with a smirk.</p><p>“Wh—?”</p><p>“Never you mind. If you wanna take a seat with your boyfriend, I’ll bring your drinks and food right over.”</p><p>“Sure!”</p><p>Sora dodged several stumbling patrons with large mugs in their hands, two cats, and countless chairs to finally slide into the booth next to Riku, who scooted over a bit to make room for him. Sora moved along the bench until he was as close to Riku as possible, their arms and thighs pressed against each other’s.</p><p>“Did you manage to order?” Riku asked, his voice barely loud enough over the clatter of mugs and cutlery against plates, as well as the chattering all around them.</p><p>“Yeah! And I got us a room for tonight, too. The man behind the bar was really kind. Did you find out anything yet?”</p><p>“No, not yet. Everything looks normal enough.”</p><p>“I wonder why the dragon wanted us to come here… And that guard, she called him a fire dragon, right? And she mentioned it was unusual because there were only water dragons around here?”</p><p>“I wonder,” Riku said, leaning back against the booth’s back wall and casually placing his arm behind Sora’s back. A warm feeling spread across Sora’s chest, and he couldn’t help his smile as he glanced sideways towards Riku. “Did you see those massive rivers on either side of the town? And there was a lot of water in the forest as well, brooks and ponds…”</p><p>“Oh!” Sora exclaimed, then lowered his voice at Riku’s sudden glare. “Oh. Yeah. Maybe the provinces all have to do with magic? Like, fire and water? And the dragon is from the Fire province, but we’re in—”</p><p>“The Water province,” Riku finished. “Yeah.”</p><p>“Oh, Riku! The name of the inn. It was <em>Waterza</em>, like our magic!”</p><p>“You’re right,” Riku said before their conversation was interrupted by the barkeep placing their foods and drinks on the table.</p><p>“Enjoy, lads,” the man said with a wink that made Sora smile again, despite the fact that Riku’s arm tightened against his back just a little.</p><p>The food was simple but hot, and that was all that Sora cared about. He dug into the baked potato and the fried eggs with mushrooms and cheese, only now realising how hungry he was, despite the fact they hadn’t even been here for <em>that</em> long. Adventuring was just hungry work, Sora supposed. He was halfway through his potato already when Riku— </p><p>“Did you get <em>alcohol</em>?” Riku sputtered as he smelled from the mug that had been placed in front of him.</p><p>“Ooooh, did I?” Sora said excitedly, reaching for his own mug. “Donald and Goofy never let me drink it before! I wanna know what it’s like!”</p><p>“Nor should they have. Sora, you’re not eighteen yet—”</p><p>“Oh, hush,” Sora said, taking a large gulp, then promptly choking on the bitter, lightly sparkling taste of it. It was...different, from anything he was used to. The bitterness was overwhelming, and he pulled a face that Riku chuckled at. But then the aftertaste lingered in his mouth, and that was...well, it wasn’t <em>bad</em>. He could get used to this. He took another gulp.</p><p>“Oh, fine. Just one, then,” Riku said, carefully taking a sip from his own drink.</p><p>“Have you had alcohol before?” Sora wanted to know. Riku was eighteen, he might have?</p><p>But Riku shook his head, pulling the same kind of grimacing face that Sora had done just a moment ago. He then wiped the sleeve of his tunic across his mouth. He didn’t meet Sora’s eyes and shoved a fork full of potatoes into his mouth instead. “Mickey wouldn’t let me either. And anyway, it’s not like I really had the occasion before.”</p><p>“Awww, Riku.” There would always be something cutely endearing about Riku blushing and being embarrassed, and Sora bumped his shoulder against Riku’s to emphasise that he was teasing. </p><p>“We’re only having one though!” The sharpness of Riku’s words was offset by the fact that he was still blushing a little.</p><p>“Yes, sir,” Sora singsonged.</p><p>They finished their food and drinks, and Sora wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or not, but with every sip of his ale, he felt a little warmer, and a little more lethargic. By the time his mug was finished and his plate was empty, he was leaning heavily against Riku, his eyes drooping. It was nice, though, because Riku’s hand came up to bury in the spikes at the back of his neck, and clinging to Riku was probably number two on Sora’s list of favourite things to do. Right after kissing Riku.</p><p>Riku hummed close to his ear, and Sora startled a little. “I’m not asleep.”</p><p>“Come on,” Riku said, grabbing the backpack from his side, nudging to indicate Sora should get up. “Let’s go to bed. We’re not gonna figure out anything like this.”</p><p>Sora yawned and snuggled tighter against Riku’s side. “Don’t wanna. You’re nice and warm.”</p><p>“I’ll be nice and warm in a bed, too. Come on.”</p><p>With a pout and a deep sigh of protest, Sora got up, and he let Riku lead them upstairs to their room. It was the one at the very back, around the corner, but before they stepped around the bend in the hallway, Riku stopped him with an arm in front of him.</p><p>“Sh,” he whispered, a hiss close to Sora’s ear. Immediately, Sora perked up, torn between annoyance and intrigue. He knew better than to speak up though, instead listening for what had caught Riku’s attention.</p><p>“I wonder how much it’s worth...” a rough, low voice spoke with a distinctive lisp.</p><p>“It’s got to be worth a <em>fortune</em>,” a second voice said, higher than the first, and Sora realised it was a woman speaking.</p><p>“I mean, it better be, for all the trouble we went through to <em>steal it</em>.”</p><p>Sora barely managed to hold back his gasp; he clasped a hand to his mouth to stop himself. He could <em>feel</em> Riku glaring at him in the dark.</p><p>“God yes. When that evil dragon spotted us, I thought for sure we were <em>done for</em>,” the female voice said. “We really risked our lives sneaking in and out of the castle when we did. We can charge extra for the risks we took. Now we just gotta find the right buyer.”</p><p>“What about the black market down at the waterfront?”</p><p>“You think someone down there is gonna want to buy it? I mean, we’ve sold our goods down there before, but this is a <em>dragon egg</em>—”</p><p>“Shh! No need to announce it to the entire world!”</p><p>Sora’s eyes widened, and he turned to look at Riku, who was listening intently to the conversation that they were clearly not meant to overhear. Was this it? The reason the nameless fire dragon had sent them? It had to be, right? Sora wished he could ask Riku, but they were unable to talk here, like this.</p><p>“Let’s put this in our room and go down for some food. I’m <em>starving.</em>”</p><p>“Good idea. We’ll figure out later where best to sell it.”</p><p>There was the sound of a door opening, creaking floorboards and heavy footsteps, and then a door closing. Sora held his breath for long seconds before he dared to lean forward to slowly poke his head around the corner. The dark hallway was completely empty. He exhaled, turning to nod at Riku.</p><p>They made their way to the last room of the corridor, and Riku quickly and quietly unlocked the door so they could stumble inside. The room was small; a bed, a tiny desk and a little wooden chair, but Sora was barely able to make anything out in the hints of moonlight shining through the small window. As soon as Riku closed the door behind him, Sora turned to him, eyes wide and face coloured with more than just the alcohol he’d just drank. All his weariness was forgotten, replaced by a heady rush of excitement.</p><p>“Riku!”</p><p>“I know,” Riku whispered back loudly, just as eager. He stepped forward to grab Sora’s shoulders, and his touch grounded Sora, brought him back into this moment.</p><p>“A dragon egg!”</p><p>“Stolen?”</p><p>“This must be why the dragon brought us here! He must want us to get it back. It must be important.”</p><p>Riku nodded. “Should we—”</p><p>“We should—” Sora said at the same time, before laughing with the potential danger, the sheer madness of this all. God, he loved his life sometimes. Actually, most times. His excitement must have been contagious because Riku shook his head with a grin.</p><p>“Some adventure. Some dragon. It’s turning us into <em>thieves</em>.”</p><p>“Is it really stealing if you’re getting it <em>back</em>, though?” Sora said lowly, aware of the thieves who were only two doors down from them. He wasn’t sure if their voices would carry.</p><p>“How are we getting it <em>back</em>, if it was never <em>ours</em> to begin with?”</p><p>That was too complicated a question for Sora’s hyperactive racing brain, so he just shook his head. “It’s what the dragon wants, I just know it. The egg has to be important. And we know the dragon is one of the good guys!”</p><p>“Do we?”</p><p>“Well…” Technically, they <em>didn’t</em> know, but Sora knew in his heart that this was the right thing to do. He pictured the black-and-red fire dragon, perched on top of the highest tower of the town, and he knew. “I do.”</p><p>He expected Riku to argue, to point out all the ways in which they should be careful; they didn’t know the world, they didn’t know what was going on — but Riku just nodded and smiled, bringing a hand to Sora’s flushed cheek. “Okay.”</p><p>“Okay?”</p><p>“Yeah. Let’s get that egg and bring it to the fire dragon.”</p><p>Sora knew he was beaming by the way his cheeks stretched, and by the way Riku’s face went soft with affection. They stood still for a few moments, just looking at each other in the dark, Sora’s brain suddenly blissfully empty. Then they both jumped when a door in the hallway opened and was slammed shut again.</p><p>“I’m so hungry I could eat a <em>horse</em>.” The female thief's voice came from the corridor.</p><p>“God, me too.”</p><p>Footsteps made their way through the hallway, away from them, and it was long moments before Sora shook himself out of the daze he had suddenly found himself in. He pulled Riku back over to the door, pressing his ear against it to make sure there were no more sounds on the other side. </p><p>The coast seemed clear.</p><p>After a quick shared look, Sora carefully opened the door. The hallway was, indeed, empty. After a brief moment, he was quick to find out that the door to the thieves’ room was locked, though. Of course… </p><p>He pouted as he turned to Riku. “How are we gonna get inside?”</p><p>Riku snorted. “Sora.”</p><p>Sora’s pout deepened. “Riku.”</p><p>“Do we, or do we not, possess weapons that can unlock <em>anything</em>.”</p><p>“Oh,” Sora said, his pout turning into a sheepish grin. With a flash, Ultima appeared in his hand. “I forgot.”</p><p>Riku snorted again but refrained from further comments as Sora swiftly and noiselessly unlocked the door. The room on the other side was just as small and dark as their own, and Riku made his way over to the small desk to light the candle with a tiny Fire spell. </p><p>They searched the room, but the thieves hid the egg better than Sora had expected. It wasn’t in the bed, and it wasn’t underneath the bed, and it also wasn’t in either of the bags that had been left in the room.</p><p>Sora was beginning to wonder if the thieves had taken it with them downstairs after all when Riku moved over to the window, and one of the floorboards creaked loudly.</p><p>“That’s it!” Sora exclaimed. “They must have hidden it below the floor. Do you remember when we were little and we broke your mom's porcelain vase, so we hid the shards in the attic, underneath the floorboards?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Riku kneeled and began to skirt his fingers around the plank he had been standing on a moment before. With deft skill, he managed to pry it open, and then the one next to it to. “Bingo!”</p><p>Sora dropped to his knees next to the hole in the floor to peer in. A large egg had been stashed away in the gap, the size of a blitzball. It even appeared to be the colour of a blitzball, although it was hard to tell for sure in the dark. The egg sparkled a deep bright blue, and it seemed to pulse and flash brightly with a weird sort of warmth. Sora felt drawn to it, and he reached out both hands to touch it without thinking. The eggshell was warm underneath his hands, like the ocean at the height of summer, a comforting and pleasant feeling. He lifted his gaze to meet Riku’s eyes, who was biting his lip, trying to hide his smile.</p><p>Then, before they could bask in their find, footsteps came back down the hallway.</p><p>“Shit!” Riku exclaimed.</p><p>Sora grabbed the egg from its hiding place and motioned for Riku to turn around. It was a good thing Riku was somehow still wearing the backpack — he hadn’t taken it off inside their own room, which meant Sora could unzip it and carefully place the egg inside. He zipped it closed again, just as there was a fumbling sound at the door.</p><p>A loud voice came from outside. “Do you have the key?”</p><p>“Yeah, hang on…”</p><p>Sora’s heart was in his throat, and he stood quickly, pulling Riku up with him. He glanced around, but he already knew any attempt of making it back to their room was futile. There was only one entrance to the room, and the previous owners of the dragon egg were now on the other side.</p><p>There was no other— Wait… The window…</p><p>He brushed past Riku and opened the latch, then opened the window and looked down. It was a long way down, but he’d jumped from higher heights. He was sure Riku had, too. Before he could consider it more, he hoisted himself up on the windowsill, then turned back to look at Riku.</p><p>“Go,” Riku said, and that was all the encouragement Sora needed. He jumped down, landing in the backstreet with a neat roll that brought him back to his feet immediately. He turned back in time to see Riku jump after him. Riku couldn’t roll with the egg strapped to his back, so he bent his knees to absorb the jar of the landing before pausing for a moment, trying to gather his bearings.</p><p>“Hey!” came an angry shout from above them. “What are you doing?”</p><p>Sora rushed to Riku’s side, pulling him up and away from the building.</p><p>“Taking back what is ours!” he shouted before the two of them rushed off. He heard a thud behind him, then a second one, and he knew the thieves had jumped down after them.</p><p>“Faster, Riku!” </p><p>They ran, all tipsiness now forgotten, so fast Sora felt like he was almost flying. There were footsteps behind them, and when Sora threw a quick glance over his shoulder, he saw a man and a woman chasing them.</p><p>“Riku, where should we go?”</p><p>“I don’t know. There are walls all around the town, I don’t think we can easily leave… We need to find a place to hide.”</p><p>They zigzagged through back streets and alleys, trying to shake the people behind them. They weren’t gaining on them, but Riku and Sora also weren’t able to shake them. And Sora was beginning to get tired. Maybe he shouldn’t have raced downhill earlier that evening… If he'd saved his strengths…</p><p>Just as he started worrying about what would happen if they were <em>caught</em>, Riku pointed up ahead with a hushed but pointed whisper. “There!”</p><p>Sora looked up to see a small door in the town’s wall, a door which was — mercifully — open on a crack. They raced towards the door and their chance for escape, running through it and slamming it behind them. Sora’s keyblade was back in his hand in a second, and he smoothly sealed the door behind them.</p><p>They both doubled over, breathing hard with their hands on their knees.</p><p>“That was…too close…” Riku gasped between heaving breaths. </p><p>“Ughhhh,” was all that Sora could manage, his legs quivering from the strain of running and the adrenaline surge. He forced himself to stand up straight and took the three steps over to Riku, needing to touch him for reassurance.</p><p>Behind them, there was the sound of pounding on the door, as if someone was throwing themselves against it.</p><p>“Riku, we should go. We can’t stay here. They might—”</p><p>“But the fire dragon.” Riku glanced up in the air. “We were gonna…”</p><p>There was another loud bang, and both of them started. They had no real strength left to run -- Sora’s lungs were burning with the effort just to breathe, his chest tight and painful, but he knew they had to make for the cover of the forest. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t be chased further.</p><p>“Riku, we have to go.”</p><p>Sora caught Riku’s hand in his, and something inside of him slotting into place, as always, with the way Riku’s larger hand fit around his fingers so well. It was a comfort; it made him feel safe, even now. They’d be okay. He’d be okay as long as Riku was here.</p><p>They started their way up the hillside, in the direction of the forest, where they would hopefully be safe — Riku still carrying their backpack with the egg, Sora walking a little too close to him.</p><p>They had no strength left to run, but they walked quickly, glancing back every few steps to make sure the thieves hadn’t broken through the door. But either they had given up or the way Sora had sealed the door with his keyblade was too strong for them to break through. </p><p>Then, right before they made it to the treeline where they’d be safe — hopefully — there came the sudden sound of flapping wings and a rush of air from behind. They whirled around in unison, keyblades in hand, ready to defend themselves and the egg.</p><p>But there was no need.</p><p>The young fire dragon came down from the skies to land on the grass in front of them. He inclined his head ever so slightly, and Sora let his keyblade disappear. Next to him, he felt Riku do the same.</p><p>“You got us into a lot of trouble, you know,” Sora said, but he now that the adrenaline had left him, and they seemed to have gotten away from any immediate threats, it was just relief that flooded his body at the sight of the familiar dragon. “And we don't even know your name.”</p><p><em>Tyrsat</em>.</p><p>Sora shared a quick look with Riku to confirm he wasn't hearing things. Riku nodded, to indicate he'd heard it too.</p><p>“So, you can… communicate telepathically?” Riku asked, turning back to the dragon, Tyrsat.</p><p><em>Yes</em>.</p><p>“What's going on?” Sora stepped forward, his arms to indicate he meant no harm. “Why did you bring us here? Did you want…” A quick look back at Riku and the backpack. “The egg?”</p><p><em>No</em>. <em>You. Egg.</em></p><p>“I don't understand.”</p><p>
  <em>You. Egg.</em>
</p><p>“You want us to...take the egg?” Riku tried.</p><p>Tyrsat nodded solemnly.</p><p>“But why?”</p><p>There was no mental answer. Tyrsat narrowed his eyes and shook his head, and a strangely sad and frustrated energy radiated off him that shook Sora to his core.</p><p>“Because you don't know what to do with it?”</p><p>There was another solemn nod.</p><p>“But we don't either…” Riku said gently. “What do you want us to do?”</p><p>But it seemed the link had been broken, and there were no further answers. Sora took another few steps forward and, remembering what his younger self and the younger Riku had done to say goodbye, wrapped both arms around the dragon's front paw in a comforting hug.</p><p>“It's okay. We'll take care of it. We'll figure it out.” </p><p>Sora could feel the trembling feathers of the dragon beneath his cheek and hands, and a warm pulse fluttered strongly. </p><p>“We've done more difficult things in the past. You can count on us!”</p><p>Sora stepped back, moving towards Riku's side and curling both his hands around Riku's upper arm. They watched together as Tyrsat bowed to them both, before spreading his wings and taking to the skies again. This time, Sora knew they wouldn't be following him.</p><p>“Do you think we'll see him again?” He asked softly.</p><p>“Maybe…” Riku muttered before bringing a palm to Sora's cheek in a comforting gesture. “Let's go. Let's find a place where we can get answers. We can sleep in the forest tonight.”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>They followed the path at first and then deviated from it, following a small river until they were sure they had travelled far enough away from the town to be safe. Sora dropped himself unceremoniously to the forest floor, leaning his back against a thick tree, the bark rough through the back of his tunic. An owl hooted from directly above them. The forest here was just as magical as earlier this evening, but Sora was too tired to be marvelling at magical flowers or colourful hedgehogs now. He'd do that again in the morning.</p><p>With exhaustion suddenly overwhelming him, he was grateful when Riku took off the backpack — the yellow paopu fruit on its front a stark contrast with the dark and gloomy world around them — and handed it to Sora. Sora curled his arms around it as Riku sat down next to him, so he could lean his head on Riku’s shoulder.</p><p>When their breathing had gone back to normal, and Sora was all but falling asleep, Riku manoeuvred them so they were lying on their sides, Riku behind him as the big spoon, his arms around Sora’s waist as Sora tightened his hold on the backpack.</p><p>The egg was sensibly warm, even through the fabric, and there was something comforting as well as powerful about having a <em>dragon egg</em> in his arms. The magnitude of what they had done, of what they were <em>doing</em>, their <em>quest</em>, suddenly hit Sora, and he jerked back awake.</p><p>“Riku?” he whispered, barely loud enough for Riku to hear.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“If we die in a dream, what happens to us back in the real world?”</p><p>Riku didn’t reply, which didn’t do anything to ease Sora’s worries. Riku was usually <em>good</em> at easing all of Sora’s worries...</p><p>“Riku?” he whispered ago. “I’m scared.”</p><p>There was a long pause before Riku pressed his lips to the back of Sora head, nuzzling a little into his hair. “Me too.” </p><p>That was not the answer Sora had expected. </p><p>Yet somehow, it was the answer he <em>needed</em>. Maybe if Riku was scared, too, he could be brave for Riku, the way Riku was always brave for him. Sora reached out and blindly searched for Riku’s hand in the dark, intertwining their fingers. </p><p>They fell asleep like that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Water</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A million thanks to the amazing, amazing <a href="https://twitter.com/KeyKidRetto">Retto</a> for blessing me (and you) with the most gorgeous art for this chapter... I hope you will love it as much as I do because it's SO GOOD!!! ❤️</p><p>Also, my wonderful dragon-loving friend <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a> designed another dragon for this chapter as well, and I cannot thank her enough because it's <i>gorgeous</i> 😭💖</p><p>I'm so grateful to both of them  &lt;3333333333</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, Riku woke up to the sound of rustling water, high-pitched bird chirps, and the sun shining directly into his still-closed eyes. Shivering a little, he scrunched up his face and curled further into himself. He was <em>cold</em>, and he wondered for a moment <em>why</em> until he realised he was missing his personal heater in his arms.</p><p>
  <em>Sora!</em>
</p><p>The instinct that came with years of sleeping with one eye open had him alert and blinking open his eyes up before he had even finished his yawn.</p><p>Thankfully, Riku spotted Sora only a short distance away; he was sitting cross-legged on a sunny patch of grass beside the brook, the hood of his dark red tunic tugged over his head. He’d taken the egg out of the backpack, and it was tucked in the crook of his left arm like a stuffed toy. He was absentmindedly stroking the shell with the fingers of his right hand. And, Riku realised belatedly, Sora was gently <em>talking </em>to the egg.</p><p>Riku relaxed, and his breathing normalised.</p><p>“I wonder if you’re a boy or a girl dragon,” Sora said softly. “Or what type of dragon you are. You’ve got a blue shell, does that mean you’re a water dragon? We’ve not seen a water dragon yet, though… I don’t even know if water dragons <em>are</em> blue… Water isn’t really blue either, I suppose, it’s clear…”</p><p>Riku's lips curled into a smile as he continued to watch quietly. Sora was completely engulfed in his own little world. He hadn’t even noticed Riku waking up.</p><p>It was amazing how Sora always seemed to take everything that happened to them in stride. A sleeping world, someone drawing him into their dream, dragons, an egg to take care of, and Sora hadn’t even batted an eye. He seemed to move as naturally through this world as anywhere, and his energy, as usual, was limitless — even after everything. </p><p>Sora had been through more pain and turmoil than any seventeen-year-old boy had any right to be. But even though he’d been turned into a heartless, had his memories tampered with, had been torn apart from all he loved more than once — and Riku knew better than anyone the nightmares Sora still had sometimes — it hadn’t dampened any of his spirts. By now Riku was convinced there was nothing in all the worlds that could bring Sora down.</p><p>It was one of the million things Riku loved about him.</p><p>Sora was always so…<em>him</em>. Riku had words for a lot of things, but he still hadn’t found all the right words to describe Sora. He supposed he never would, and that was okay.</p><p>It had been five months now since he and Sora had found their way home from Shibuya, and their connection had been restored fully — bright and powerful in a way it hadn’t been in years. With it came Riku’s newfound ability to tell Sora things he hadn’t been able to tell him before — about how lonely he always felt when Sora wasn’t around, about how his desire to protect and support Sora was so strong sometimes that it <em>scared</em> him, but also it led him to Shibuya, so was it really a bad thing?</p><p>Once upon a time, he’d never been able to tell Sora any of his deeper thoughts. Now though, the dam had been broken, and it was as if sometimes he couldn’t <em>help</em> but spill these thoughts everywhere. Sora listened, and he <em>looked</em> at him, and for the first time in forever, Riku felt <em>seen</em>.</p><p>They bantered with each other, shared the sappiest of smiles that made Kairi roll her eyes, and it wasn't even <em>weird</em> when Sora wanted to sleep in his bed every night or hold his hand during their daily trips to Twilight Town.</p><p>It made him okay with who he was, completely. Over the years, he had made peace with a lot of things, but it had taken Sora brushing his hair out of his face and holding him close in the middle of the night in a starlit magical bedroom for Riku to be truly okay with who he was, and who he was to Sora — best friend, dream eater, <em>soulmate</em> on the days he felt brave. And if he could be like this with Sora, forever, it would be enough.</p><p>Of course, Sora then surprised him yet again when one night — as a restless ball of energy — he had sighed and turned by Riku’s side more times than Riku cared to remember, until finally blurting out, “I can’t stop thinking about you, Riku.”</p><p>Riku had been shocked into silence, something that didn’t often happen.</p><p>“I don’t know how <em>not</em> to <em>think</em> about you anymore, Riku…”</p><p>It always had been Sora who was the braver of them both. </p><p>Maybe it was <em>this</em> that had finally given Riku the peace he had longed for his entire life. </p><p>His hunger for adventure was not as it had been before. Sure, he liked going on missions, and he definitely liked being with Sora no matter where that was, but the desire he had once felt to <em>go, go, go</em> had left him with Sora’s return. He’d found himself, he’d found Sora, he had everything he’d ever dreamed of, he didn’t <em>need</em> more than that — not anymore.</p><p>He had the power to protect what mattered to him most, and now he and Sora were… Sora called it <em>boyfriends</em>, and Riku supposed that’s what they were, but it felt <em>more</em> somehow — mentally, secretly, he still called them <em>soulmates</em>, because he liked how it sounded. Bound together by something larger than either of them.</p><p>But in the end, the label didn’t matter. There was no label that would ever fully categorise what Sora meant to him.</p><p>Sora had given him more than he had ever dared to hope for… He didn’t think that he’d ever been this <em>happy</em>. He finally felt like he belonged. The feeling had taken root in his chest, anchored him in the very best way — it had made him…not soft, but <em>comfortable</em>. Maybe in the future, he would be hungry for more adventures again, for something else. School again, maybe. Or a life as a true Keyblade Master. But as it were, he was enjoying finally having peace and stability in his life, all the things his fifteen-year-old self would have scoffed at.</p><p>It was funny how things could change in a few short years.</p><p>But as both their hearts began to heal from their time apart and their strenuous journey back, they had started training again, and then they’d done their first mission — <em>together</em> this time. And Riku saw first-hand how much Sora loved battling Heartless and the thrill of a new adventure, how fast his magic had grown strong and powerful again. Riku loved the wide-eyed look on Sora’s face as they landed in a world, his bright smile as they set off exploring, his genuine, unfeigned <em>energy</em>, no matter what.</p><p>Sometimes Riku saw a younger version of himself in Sora — restless, searching — and he wondered if Sora was maybe really looking for <em>himself</em> instead of adventures. But then, Riku thought… Maybe they all were. Wasn’t that just the definition of living? </p><p>And it was <em>Sora’s</em> life, he should be able to find himself at his own pace — to decide if he wanted to be a Keyblade Master, or go back to the islands, or do the missions Mickey and Master Yen Sid had started giving them more and more, the stronger they got.</p><p>In any case, it didn’t matter. Riku would support Sora whatever he wanted to do. He would go wherever Sora went and beyond, do anything to stay by Sora’s side. </p><p>Riku stretched a little; not too much because he didn’t want to alert Sora to the fact that he was awake, yet. </p><p>“We’re going to get you back to your parents! I’m not sure how yet, or where they are, but that’s okay. My adventures usually start out like this, you know. In the beginning, I have no clue where I am or what I’m supposed to be doing, but the longer we’re on a quest, the better it gets. So don’t worry!”</p><p>It was beyond endearing, seeing Sora talking to the egg like this, and if Riku tried to focus on that, maybe he could try and shake the residue of uncertainty that still clung to him. Seeing Sora full of sincere and unabashed spirit made it easier to relax a little.</p><p>It was just the effect Sora always had on him.</p><p>“Also, I’m with my boyfriend this time,” Sora continued hopefully. “So what can possibly go wrong?”</p><p>At those words, Riku inhaled sharply, too loudly, breaking the moment. Sora’s gaze shot up.</p><p>“Riku!” he exclaimed brightly. He hugged the egg to his chest and crawled back over to Riku, his eyes sparkling beneath the hood, his face so happy Riku almost had to close his eyes again. “Good morning!”</p><p>“Good morning,” Riku said, his voice hoarse as he pushed himself into a sitting position. </p><p>And then, because he couldn’t help himself, he brought both his hands up to Sora’s face, fingers sliding underneath the hood and into the soft tufts of hair above Sora’s ears. The skin of Sora’s cheeks was warm and dry beneath his thumbs, and Sora was positively beaming up at him.</p><p>Riku kissed him. Sora scrambled to get closer, almost into his lap, and Riku sat back until the egg was safely between them and Sora’s full attention was on <em>him</em>. The kisses were tender, slow, just a hint of tongue, a little happy sigh, and when Riku pulled away, Sora chased him up for more kisses with a little whine in the back of his throat.</p><p>It had been two months since their first kiss, yet Riku’s mind still reeled whenever they did this. It was just surreal, the knowledge that he could <em>have</em> this, that this was something they <em>did</em> now. Reluctantly, he pulled away once more, his hands sliding down to cup Sora’s jaw. His hands were a little cold, and Sora was always so nice and <em>warm</em>. </p><p>“Were you talking to the egg?”</p><p>Sora flushed, and Riku felt the skin underneath his palms heat up even more. </p><p>“Well, you gotta talk to babies before they’re born, right? That’s good for them!”</p><p>Riku blinked. “It is?” </p><p>“Yeah! I think so… Well, anyway, it can't hurt. He or she must be lonely in there…”</p><p>Riku turned his attention to the egg and, intrigued, reached out to touch it, placing his hand next to Sora’s where it was resting lightly against the top. Like yesterday, the egg was pleasantly warm to the touch. It seemed to pulsate slowly, reacting to his touch, and a rush of <em>something </em>swept through Riku’s chest — an all-too-familiar feeling he used to push down. But he was not embarrassed anymore to say that he liked having something to protect, that it made him feel…strong. Noble. Sora didn’t need his protection but let Riku protect him anyway, which was the same sort of feeling. Warm, buzzing, heady.</p><p>“I think we should take it back to its parents,” Sora said softly.</p><p>“I wonder where it came from…” Riku trailed off, thinking back to the conversation they had overheard last night. “Those thieves mentioned something about a castle…”</p><p>“Oh, yeah! And so did the guards!”</p><p>“If that’s where the egg was stolen from, maybe we should return it there?” </p><p>“Riku, you’re so smart!” Sora exclaimed excitedly, clamouring off Riku’s lap. He offered Riku a hand. “That’s a good plan, let’s do that!” </p><p>With pink dusting his cheeks, Riku let Sora pull him up.</p><p>“So hey.” Sora glanced at the water they were standing next to. “If we follow the river upstream, we’ll probably end up <em>somewhere</em>!” </p><p>Riku shook his head fondly as he grabbed the paopu fruit backpack for Sora to put the egg in. “Somewhere?”</p><p>“You know.” Sora waved a hand. “Somewhere we need to be. That’s usually how my journeys go.” He paused, dropping his gaze to the ground. “Although the last one didn't really…” </p><p>“Hey,” Riku murmured, stepping closer so he could bring a hand to the side of Sora’s neck, lightly resting his thumb over Sora's pulse point, pale fingers splayed against tanned skin. “It’s okay. This is not at all like your last journey.” </p><p>There was a moment of silence, during which Riku felt Sora swallow heavily, twice, then a third time.</p><p>“We’ll figure it out, okay?” Riku brought his forehead to Sora's, hoping the touch would reassure and comfort him.</p><p>After a moment, Sora met his gaze, and Riku was glad to see his eyes clear and determined. “Yeah.”</p><p>“Good.”</p><p>“You know,” Sora said, gently slipping the egg in the backpack before taking it out of Riku’s hands so he could put it on. “What we need is a map! To show us the way to the castle.”</p><p>“A map would be nice… But we can’t go back into that town to get one—”</p><p>“Oh, I know!” Sora exclaimed, jumping up and down. “We’ll just need to…”</p><p>Riku watched as Sora sprinted off, checking behind the evergreen shrubs on the far side of the clearing, and then checking behind each of the trees in turn.</p><p>“Sora, what are you—”</p><p>“It’s gotta be around here somewhere… It always is…”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“Aha!” Sora said from behind a big-leaved wintercreeper, and he waved Riku over. “I knew it would have to be close.”</p><p>When Riku reached Sora’s side, he noticed what Sora was so enthusiastic about. It was a medium-sized treasure chest, shining gold with bright blue panels all around, and Riku blinked. Of course. How could he have forgotten?</p><p>Sora summoned his keyblade, tapped the chest twice, and it opened slowly. Inside was a neatly rolled up piece of parchment.</p><p>“A map…” Riku muttered.</p><p>“Exactly!” Sora said with a face-splitting grin.</p><p>Riku unrolled the paper, and they both bent over it, pressed shoulder to shoulder. On the map were lines that seemed to indicate roads and some hastily scribbled trees and mountains to symbolise the landscape. There were a number of smaller towns marked on the map, a larger one named <em>Kiniro</em>, and then a thick black arrow at the right-hand side with the word CASTLE scribbled in the margin.</p><p>“Bingo!” Sora exclaimed.</p><p>“Where do these chests even come from…”</p><p>“Who cares? All that matters is that we…”</p><p>But Riku missed the rest of Sora’s words over the sudden rushing in his ears when he squinted and read the words that been written on the top of the map: the name of the world they were in, in smudged letters, barely legible. And the words read— The words read— </p><p>“Sor—” Riku tried to say, but the name stuck in his throat, but Sora heard the unguarded emotion in his voice anyway. He stopped talking and looked back from Riku’s shocked face to the part on the map where Riku was pointing.</p><p>Sora leaned closer, squinting at the letters. “Symphony… of… Sorcery.”</p><p>There was a long pause.</p><p>Then Sora looked back up at him abruptly. “Riku!”</p><p>Riku nodded.</p><p>“Symphony of Sorcery!”</p><p>Suddenly, everything clicked, and Riku found he wasn’t surprised at all; he’d felt it, in his heart, ever since they arrived here. The magic of this place was familiar, and he felt a little stupid for not realising it before. This world was so special to him — this was the place where he had completely accepted his love for Sora… How could he not have recognised it?</p><p>“It’s our world!” Sora said, covering Riku’s hand where it was gripping tightly on the map.</p><p>“Our world?” Riku echoed.</p><p>“It’s where our songs matched up, and where I felt your presence…” Sora’s voice wavered, and Riku let go of the map to slide their palms together, turning to look at him. “I’d never felt anything like it before… Even without you there, I felt it so deeply…”</p><p>“Sora…” Sora always did this. Just like that, he rendered Riku speechless, made Riku forget his worries and his reservations with just a few words. Riku felt his throat close up with hot tears, and he swallowed convulsively, almost painfully.</p><p>Sora hugged him then, arms tightly around his waist, leaning heavily into his side, face pressed against Riku’s chest. It was the easiest thing to wrap his arm around Sora’s shoulders and lean down to press his face into Sora’s hair to inhale comfort and the smell of pine needles and late-summer leaves.</p><p>“I love you, Sora.”</p><p>Riku didn’t say the words often — it was hard still, sometimes, to be so open with his affection.</p><p>“You’ve always been with me, Riku. Even when we’re apart, you’re in my heart. And I love you so much.”</p><p>Sora slipped his hands underneath Riku's belt to turn him sideways so they were hugging properly. They stood like that for long moments, just breathing. Riku lost himself in the feeling of Sora's warm, lithe body in his arms, the sun shining down on both of them, the peaceful sounds of the forest around them. When he looked up, a pair of the strange technicolour hedgehogs was silently watching them from beneath the shrubs. Riku smiled.</p>
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</div><p>Eventually, they pulled back a little to look at each other for a long moment, Sora’s soft, teary smile slowly morphing into the look of eager enthusiasm Riku had come to expect.</p><p>“Okay!” Sora said, stepping backwards and tugging on the backpack straps to adjust the weight on his back. “Now, let’s go find our magic castle!”</p><p>With an apple-cinnamon granola bar each — the last snacks from the backpack — they set off. </p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Though the easy terrain was great for hiking, they still found themselves slowed down by small parties of Nightmare Yoggy Rams and Juggle Pups, even with the help they received from their own Dream Eaters. When the food from the pack ran out, they searched the forest for berries and roots, and after they came across a Moogle who sold actual <em>cooking pots</em>, Sora made them delicious fish stew for dinner with fresh fish from the river. Water magic made it easy to catch fish and fire magic made it easy to create cooking fires that also gave them warmth for when the night-chill settled over them.</p><p>After four days of hiking through the forest, the trees thinned and they emerged near a rocky mountain trail. According to the map, they would only need to follow this path downhill and they’d get to the biggest town on the map — <em>Kiniro — </em>and then it wouldn’t be far to where the arrow towards the castle was pointing.</p><p>Maybe they would also be able to get some answers in the town.</p><p>Every day, Riku had been able to let go of his reservations a little more. The skies were blue with just a hint of clouds, the temperature was pleasantly warm, and the magic of this world covered both of them like an invisible blanket, making them feel powerful and at home, somehow. </p><p>There was no doubt about it; this <em>was</em> the Symphony of Sorcery. Now that they knew, they could see it in everything. There were the same magical particulars that both Sora and Riku had encountered the first time they’d been here — they passed ponds with bright pink dancing flamingos, half of the plants and flowers they saw were literally <em>glowing</em>, and the clouds that drifted past when they made their way higher up the mountain were solid enough to sit on.</p><p>Sora was <em>beyond</em> cheerful, in awe of all the magical things they encountered, and full of stories of his last visit here: rainbow roads and slides made of clouds and flowers that played music when you jumped on them. He talked about how Riku’s presence had been tangible, even though he hadn’t been physically by his side then, and that story, in particular, made Riku reach out and take Sora’s hand to hold it tightly.</p><p>Sora beamed up at him and squeezed back.</p><p>They were halfway down the mountain on the fifth day, Sora a few steps ahead of him, when Riku paused for a moment to just <em>stare</em>, suddenly overcome by the significance of the fact that they were on an <em>adventure</em>, a real adventure, just the two of them.</p><p>For the first time, ever.</p><p>And he liked it. A lot.</p><p>It was Sora’s turn to carry the egg (they took turns with the backpack). Sora was jumping from rock to rock, balancing on one foot before jumping to the next rock. He’d made a game of it — touching the ground instead of the rocks meant bad luck. So far, he’d been able to manage easily, and the way he was moving so skillfully made him resemble a young mountain deer.</p>
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</div><p>Riku laughed out loud at the thought, entertaining himself for a moment at the comparison. He knew in the past, the world magic had turned Sora into, amongst other things, a lion, a cat-like monster and a merman, and all of those fit Sora. But in his mind, the comparison with the mountain deer fit the best.</p><p>Sora turned around on his toes to face Riku, aiming for a graceful twirl, but half-way through he lost his balance and stumbled off the rock with flailing arms, landing in the dirt on his butt. </p><p>Riku laughed harder at the look of indignation on Sora’s face, curling his arms around his stomach.</p><p>“You made me fall!” Sora pouted. “Riku! It’s not funny.”</p><p>In a few easy strides, Riku was at Sora’s side, and through his laughter, he bent down to hoist Sora up with his hands underneath his armpits. Sora was still pouting, but his eyes were shining, so Riku knew he wasn’t really upset. Still, he offered Sora a kiss in apology, one which Sora happily accepted, arms snaking up around Riku’s shoulders to pull him closer.</p><p>“We’re nearly there,” Riku breathed against Sora’s lips. </p><p>“We’ve got time for kissing, though,” Sora said, smiling. “I mean, you did laugh at me, you ought to make it up to me.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Riku said between kisses. “You’re adorable, you know that?”</p><p>“Am not,” Sora said, his smile turning into a little pout, and he pretended to draw away from Riku, but didn’t resist in the slightest when Riku pulled him back in for a final kiss, laughing again.</p><p>It was <em>fun</em>, travelling with Sora. Maybe he didn’t <em>need</em> adventures anymore, but he definitely still loved them.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>They arrived in Kiniro halfway through the afternoon with plenty of daylight to spare. This town was much larger than the last one they’d been in, and without a dragon to guide them this time, they wandered the streets, wondering where to go.</p><p>It was too early to find an inn to sleep for the night, but Riku wasn’t sure where else they could go in search of answers without drawing suspicion to themselves.</p><p>To his right, Sora was looking up at the tall buildings all around them with a look of wonder on his face. His right hand was gripping the strap of the backpack, the fingers of his left entwined with Riku's, and he let Riku steer them through the busy, wide brick roads in the centre of the town.</p><p>“This last time I was in this world, I didn't see anything like this,” Sora said. “I didn't even meet any people back then, and now there are so <em>many</em> here. It's almost as busy as San Fransokyo! Only without all the technology, of course. Was there anything like this in your part of the world?”</p><p>Riku shook his hand. “No, nothing. We must've been in another part then. I do remember floating snowflakes and frozen lakes, though, so if there really are different parts for each type of magic, I must've been in the blizzard part?”</p><p>“And I was amongst the clouds! Maybe in the aero part?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah, maybe?”</p><p>Before Sora could reply, an elderly man in a sky blue coat brushed past them on the streets, holding his tall, conical hat with one hand as he rushed past them, babbling in a rush, words tumbling out. “Oh, this is awful news, I need to bring this letter to the mayor at once… And then return to the library to do more research…”</p><p>Riku stopped in his tracks as the man rushed off. Of course! “Sora, the library! If they have a library here, I'm sure we'll find answers there!”</p><p>“Ohhh, yeah!” Sora agreed, and Riku's heart did a little leap at Sora's admiring wide smile.</p><p>They had to ask for directions three times, but they made it to the town's library eventually. Once inside, both of them paused for a moment, marvelling at the arched ceiling, high above them, which was painted with scenes of dragons battling dragons, fire burning away pillars of ice, thunder being blown away by large gusts of wind. Sunlight poured in through the domed skylight in the centre, giving the place a pleasant warm glow. There were rows of books stretching out all the way to the ceiling, and all around them, people were studying behind desks or pouring over papers and notes in comfortable chairs.</p><p>After long moments of taking in their surroundings, Riku's gaze fell upon a familiar figure behind the largest desk in the centre of the hall: it was the eldery man that had stumbled past them in the streets earlier — the hat and the white hair were unmistakable. He was bent over a large book that covered half the table, with the other half of the table covered in half-burned candles. His face was so close to the paper that Riku wondered how he was able to read anything. His small, circular glasses kept sliding down his nose, and he kept readjusting them with one hand while he read.</p><p>Sora followed his gaze, then elbowed him silently.</p><p>“Riku!” he whispered. “It's…”</p><p>“Merlin,” Riku finished. The wizard was a little younger than how Riku and Sora knew him now, his beard a little shorter, and his face a little less wrinkled, but it was unmistakably him. “A Merlin from the past?”</p><p>“How…?” Sora wondered out loud. “What's he doing in the Symphony of Sorcery? I thought he was from Radiant Garden or something!”</p><p>Riku shrugged, also a little baffled by this turn of events.</p><p>“Let’s go and talk to him…”</p><p>When they approached the desk, the man looked up.</p><p>“Oh, good heavens, visitors!”</p><p>The fact that Merlin didn't recognise him proved Riku's theory that somehow, this was a version of Merlin from before they'd ever met him. Which made some sense, considering the last time they'd been to the Symphony of Sorcery, they had met a version of <em>Mickey</em> from before they'd ever met.</p><p>Sora seemed to have realised the same, when he greeted Merlin cheerfully, introducing them. “Hello! I'm Sora. This is Riku, my boyfriend.”</p><p>Riku shot him a look, but Sora pretended not to see it, continuing with just the hint of a pleased little smile.</p><p>“We wanna know all about dragons. Where do we find books about them? And magic, too, we also wanna know about magic. Oh, and the castle.”</p><p>“Oh, welcome to Kiniro, kind travellers. My name is Merlin. I can tell you everything you want to know about magic! Dragons are not really my area of Unless it's a witch who transformed into one…” He shrugged his bony shoulders. “But I can show you where they keep books about them.”</p><p>“Are you from this world?”</p><p>Riku was about to elbow Sora to get him to shut up about worlds before he would give them away, when Merlin leaned forward across the desk, his dark eyes sparkling in the candlelight. “You know about the different worlds?”</p><p>“Oops,” Sora let slip, and he shot Riku a sheepish glance. Riku grimaced.</p><p>“Are <em>you</em> from a different world?” Merlin asked excitedly in a hushed whisper.</p><p>Sora shot Riku another glance, and Riku nodded, a little surprised. If Merlin knew about the different worlds, surely it was okay to talk about them? He was a <em>wizard</em>, after all, and Riku knew he was able to teleport across worlds.</p><p>“Yeah,” Sora said, lowering his voice to a conspiracy whisper as well. “Me and Riku are from the Destiny Islands. We've travelled all over though, and we've had a lot of adventures in a lot of different worlds. But now we ended up here, and we're not entirely sure why…”</p><p>“Oh heavens, that sounds terribly fascinating. Tell me more! Oh, but not here,” Merlin glanced around at some of the other people walking around with books and papers in their arms. “Please, follow me.”</p><p>Riku and Sora followed Merlin into one of the massive rows of books. There were ladders on wheels attached to a brass rail along the top edge that could be used to get up to the highest shelves. As they walked, Merlin picked out a few large tomes, stacking them into his arms. Riku noticed the covers: dark, leather-bound with dragons and magic symbols pressed on the front.</p><p>“Dragons are quite rare these days, you know,” Merlin said as they walked. “There are still enough that they're not in any danger of going extinct, but they hide away most of the time, keeping to themselves. But you'll be able to read all that you want to know here!”</p><p>Merlin led them to a tiny circular study room. The walls were made out carved wood panels of mahogany, and there was a large window at the far side through which plenty of daylight filtered. The room was a little chilly, but immediately after Riku and Sora sat down on the black chairs at the wooden table, Merlin hurried over to the fireplace.</p><p>“Fire!” he said with a wave of a long, brown wand he'd procured from somewhere, and a large fire sizzled to life and started crackling softly, beginning to warm the cool air in the room.</p><p>“Now,” Merlin said, taking a seat opposite them. “Tell me about how you ended up here.”</p><p>Sora started relaying their story so far. He started with how one moment they had been asleep back in the Mysterious Tower, and how the next they had woken up on the beach of the Destiny Islands, in some sort of dream world, or a sleeping world. Merlin nodded, and Sora continued. He told Merlin about the dragon in the Secret Place, the door, ending up in the Symphony of Sorcery, and then finding the dragon egg.</p><p>At this, Merlin's eyes widened spectacularly. “A dragon egg?!”</p><p>“Yeah,” Riku said. “Well, that's what we've been told anyway. We've never seen one before.”</p><p>“Will you show it to me?”</p><p>“Sure!” Sora pulled the egg out of the backpack, gently laying it down on the table.</p><p>“This is not just any dragon egg…” Merlin said with a low little whistle, staring at the egg with a shocked look on his face. “This is the rarest one of all… An omni dragon egg… Where did it come from?”</p><p>“All we know is that it came from a castle,” Riku said.</p><p>“<em>The</em> castle?”</p><p>“We don't know.”</p><p>Merlin nodded wistfully. “It would make sense… Today, we received the news that the castle has been put under a magical sleep spell. A curse of some sort. All of the people still inside — including the king, the queen, and the prince — they're all asleep now. There were two royal omni dragons in the castle as well, and they did have an egg not too long ago… It was a cause for much celebration because omni dragons are the rarest of all and they usually only lay eggs every 100 years.”</p><p>This was all a lot to process, and Riku and Sora shared a long look. A castle put under a magical sleep? Sora and him suddenly in a sleeping world, coming into possession of the rarest dragon egg of all? All of that was too much to be a coincidence… And Riku had learned there was no such thing as coincidence when it came to their lives.</p><p>“You know, you two. It's almost like fate we met. I had just been researching how to break this sleeping curse. And with you two showing up with that egg— Hmm…”</p><p>“Did you find anything?” Sora asked. “We can help!”</p><p>“Just this,” Merlin said, gathering one of the other books on the table close to him, which he started reciting from. “<em>The grand magic dragon will awaken and lift the curse</em>. But I didn't know what that means… And then you showed up with… Hmm…”</p><p>“What more can you tell us about dragons?” Riku asked, leaning his elbows on the table. “How are they linked to magic? We met one, a fire dragon, and he could sort of…<em>talk</em> to us, only we heard his voice in our heads?”</p><p>Merlin nodded, reaching for one of the tomes that was lying on the table. He flipped through it carefully until he came to a page filled with diagrams and charts.</p><p>“Dragons communicate telepathically. But not a lot of people can understand them. They don't really speak in a <em>language</em>, their communication is mostly through feelings and images. It's like…a link between hearts.”</p><p>Merlin continued to browse, talking excitedly as he leafed through the pages.</p><p>“Dragons are magical creatures. Every dragon has one element of magic. There are fire dragons, aero dragons, water dragons, blizzard dragons, thunder dragons and cure dragons. The Symphony of Sorcery is divided into seven provinces, and each of them has a different type of magic. You're in the Water province now, Hydrox.”</p><p>“What about the seventh province?” Riku asked.</p><p>“That's the Omni province, Fantasia. That's the heart of the world, where the castle is. It's where the rarest of all dragons live. If seeing a fire or a water dragon is rare, spotting an omni dragon is practically nonexistent." Merlin sighed. "Except at the birth of a new egg. They must have been at the castle to start the hatching process.”</p><p>“So what's so special about this omni dragon egg?” Sora leaned forward on his arms to better look at the pictures in the book. He pointed at the picture of the egg.</p><p>“An omni dragon has control over all six magical elements. That's what makes them so rare.”</p><p>Riku placed both his hands on the egg, pulling it to him so he could gather it closer to his chest.</p><p>“To awaken a dragon egg, it needs to be infused with its type of magic. The parents know when it’s time, and they bring their egg to the magical shrine for a magical ritual. And this one needs to be introduced to all six elements all over this world. That's what the parents’ quest was going to be…”</p><p>“But this baby dragon’s parents are now asleep in the castle!” Sora said suddenly, leaning closer to Riku so he could extend a hand towards the egg as well. “And we don't know how to break the curse. So the egg can't be hatched!”</p><p>“We'll need to do it, instead,” Riku said with a determination that surprised him. </p><p>Sora looked at him and nodded. “Yeah. <em>The grand magic dragon will break the curse.</em> Can it be the egg?”</p><p>“There's a good chance,” Merlin said from across them. “But it will be dangerous, lads. The thieves you stole it from may not give up so easily. And there are stories of weird monsters roaming the lands, ever since the curse was placed upon the castle. Besides, you'll need grand magic to perform these rituals, and—”</p><p>“Oh,” Sora said easily. “We have magic, so we can defend ourselves from the Nightmares. Grand magic, too, if that's what we need.”</p><p>“You have…<em>magic</em>?” Merlin looked up so quickly his hat nearly fell off his head. “Grand magic? But how? Only people who have been to this world, or who have learned it from someone who's been to this world, can use magic… The Symphony of Sorcery is the birthplace of all magic. That's why I've come to this world, to study it. It is my greatest wish to learn the mythical <em>grand magic</em> that this world can bestow upon you when you're worthy.”</p><p>Riku and Sora gasped in unison, turning to each other.</p><p>Riku was the first to recover. “<em>This</em> is where our magic comes from?”</p><p>“Our <em>grand magic</em>?” Sora added.</p><p>Riku turned to him. “We’ve been to the Symphony of Sorcery before. I know after I left this world last time, I felt different. Stronger. I thought it was because our hearts synced up here and because I accepted…myself, I guess. And maybe part of it was. But it wasn’t long after that when I realised my magic had almost doubled in strength.”</p><p>Sora took his hand, entwining their fingers on top of the warm, lightly thrumming dragon egg. “I only got weaker during those last worlds in our Mastery exam. But after you woke me up, I had gained the power to do grand magic. It must have come from here. This world gave us that power.”</p><p>“Maybe it knew we’d need it later…” Riku said hesitantly.</p><p>“Yes!” Sora said, turning to Merlin.</p><p>“We'll do it, of course. Where is the water magic shrine?”</p><p>Merlin clapped his hands together, and his eyes were wide and sparkling. “The shrine will be easier to find with a map. Do you have one? If not I'm sure I have one around here somewhere… Oh but you won't want to leave tonight, anyway! Not with those… Nightmares, you say?”</p><p>Sora and Riku nodded. </p><p>Merlin tapped his finger against his chin. “Not with those creatures running amok. You've got a long journey ahead of you after the water shrine. Stay the night at my place. Tomorrow, your noble quest can begin!”</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Sora helped Merlin prepare dinner in the kitchen, explaining which of his herbs would fit best with the roasted carrots, potatoes and onions and talking excitedly about how he learned all about cooking from one of the best chefs in all the worlds.</p><p>“I know you'll like his food and drinks too. He works in a restaurant where they have the <em>best </em>tea.”</p><p>“I do love tea,” Merlin said thoughtfully.</p><p>“I'm sure you'll be able to visit it someday,” Sora said, glancing back over his shoulder to wink at Riku, who had glanced up from the kitchen table with an amused smile.</p><p>As Sora continued to help Merlin around the kitchen, Riku returned to writing. Earlier, Merlin had given him a blank journal with the advice to write down their journey and all they would learn. Either in case they needed this knowledge for later, or just to record their quest. The idea appealed to Riku, and he was diligently writing down all that had happened so far. He had just finished the part where they'd met Merlin in the library when dinner was announced ready, and he put the journal in their backpack next to the egg.</p><p>After dinner, Merlin showed them to a small guest room upstairs. It seemed like the sight of a bed, even a small one, was enough to cause a wave of exhaustion to overcome both of them. There was minimal shifting as they sought to get comfortable, and then Sora was falling asleep before he had fully mumbled “Good night, Riku.”</p><p>With Sora relaxed and breathing deeply in his arms, Riku turned over their newfound knowledge of this world in his mind. Their talks with Merlin and all the things they'd learned so far strengthened the comforting idea that they were somehow <em>meant</em> to be here. <em>Together</em>. Finally, a journey <em>together</em>. </p><p>Riku fell asleep with the thought in his head that whatever it was they had to do, it’d be okay as long as he'd be able to do it with Sora by his side.</p><p>The next morning after breakfast, Merlin marked the magical water shrine on their map of Hydrox and sent them on their way with a loaf of freshly baked bread, a few apples and a block of pungent cheese. </p><p>“Now, remember to stick to the pathways or the roads,” Merlin said. “They're still relatively safe. And keep that egg in sight at all times!”</p><p>“Yes, Merlin.” Sora held the backpack with the egg tightly.</p><p>“And when things get tough, lads, remember what you're doing this for. If the castle doesn't awaken, I'm afraid the the curse might spread until the whole world is under its spell. And if the egg doesn't receive the magic it needs to hatch, it will—”</p><p>“The baby dragon will die,” Sora said next to him, his voice tight.</p><p>“We understand,” Riku nodded.</p><p>“Don't worry,” Sora said, even though his smile didn't reach his eyes all the way. “We’ve got this!”</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>The winding road away from Kiniro and towards the Hydrox water shrine took them up into a mountain range towards the north. True to the province they were in, there were rivers and brooks everywhere, and they passed more ponds and lakes than they could count. According to Merlin, the water shrine would be on the shore of the largest mountain lake, high up in the mountains, a good day's walk.</p><p>They paused for lunch in a meadow with a lake reflecting the surrounding mountains, watching the huge number of magical fish swim calmly through the water. These fish were different from the normal fish they'd caught earlier, they were literally <em>glowing</em>, their scales orange and silver, their fins long and flowing gracefully around them. </p><p>When Sora was done eating, he shifted closer to the lake and eagerly reached his hand into the water, but Riku was just as fast and grabbed his hand to snatch it away just before it touched the surface.</p><p>“Don't! They might be toxic or something.”</p><p>Sora pouted and rubbed at his wrist just above where Riku still had his fingers curled around him. He then turned his pout on Riku, and Riku had to bite his lip to stop his laughter at the look on Sora's face. “How do you know?”</p><p>“Uhm,” Riku smirked, letting go of Sora's hand. “Because I paid attention in school? Common sense? Life experience? I don't know, pick one.”</p><p>“That's no fun,” Sora said, matching Riku's smirk with one of his own. “Where's your sense of adventure, Riku?”</p><p>Riku side-eyed him with a little huff. “I think you've got enough for both of us. I'll be the voice of reason, instead, so we don't end up cursing or poisoning ourselves.”</p><p>“I’ll have you know in all my adventures, I've never been <em>cursed</em>. Although,” Sora added thoughtfully. “I <em>have</em> been poisoned by fighting Mushrooms before.”</p><p>“Well, there you go, then.”</p><p>“Nothing a little cure spell couldn't fix, though!”</p><p>Riku sighed, shaking his head. “Anyway, better safe than sorry. Look, but don't touch.”</p><p>They stood up, brushing the grass stains off their tunics as best they could when suddenly Sora turned his head towards the lake and gasped. “Riku!” </p><p>The water in the middle of the lake rippled. A silver-orange scaled creature appeared on the surface, much larger than any of the fish they'd seen in the lake. With a large rushing sound, it sped out of the water, twirling through the air and spraying water all around itself. The sun shone brightly on the creature, and the water spray in the air glowed with all the colours of the rainbow for a glorious moment.</p>
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  <p>-- Art by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a></p>
</div><p>“A water dragon!” Riku said lowly, his voice full of awe.</p><p>Sora stepped closer to him, their shoulders touching, and they stood side by side as the dragon rose up high into the air and flew towards them. A shower of water droplets drizzled down from the skies, dampening their clothes and hair. Sora laughed, shaking his head.</p><p>“Rude,” Riku muttered, but he was smiling as well when he put the backpack on his back.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>They followed the dragon up the mountain and several hours later, right when the sun was starting to set, their destination loomed into view: a magnificent mountain lake, larger than any of the ones they’d seen so far. The water stretched almost as far as they could see, reflecting the light blue sky streaked with clouds that were no longer white, but pink and orange and yellow.</p><p>“It's beautiful…” Sora whispered by his side.</p><p>“Look,” Riku said, pointing to where the water dragon they had seen earlier was seated on one of the steep rocky slopes that surrounded the lake. The dragon was motionless, and she seemed to be waiting for something… Or someone.</p><p>It took them another half hour to reach the dragon and, behind her, the shrine, which consisted of twelve large stones set in a circle into the ground, like pillars. In the middle was a large slate, flat on the ground, with the water magic symbol carved into it.</p><p><em>Welcome</em>. <em>My name is Sydhipel.</em></p><p>The dragon gave them the tiniest of nods, then looked pointedly at the middle of the shrine. Riku followed her gaze.</p><p>“This is it…” Sora whispered, shifting from foot to foot and reaching for Riku's hand. “I'm suddenly nervous… What if it doesn't work? I don't even know what to do…”</p><p>Riku gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, even though his stomach was turning in on itself with the same nerves that Sora must be feeling. He looked back towards the dragon.</p><p>Suddenly, his mind and all his senses filled with the smell, the feel, the <em>sight</em> of water. So much water and magic — strong magic — swirling around him.</p><p>No… not him… The <em>egg</em>.</p><p><em>Waterza</em>.</p><p>“I think we need to cast grand magic on the egg. The water spell.” Riku took the egg out of the backpack and carefully handed it to Sora, who took it and cradled it close to his chest with both arms. </p><p>“But what if we hurt the egg?” Sora's voice rose with the beginnings of desperation. “What if it breaks? What if—”</p><p>Riku stopped him with two fingers to his lips. “It's okay. It'll be okay.”</p><p>Sora's eyes were wide, and Riku wanted to take the apprehension and the glimmer of fear he saw there and swallow it down the way he swallowed Sora's bad dreams back in the waking world. Sora didn't deserve to feel any of it. But also…fear was perhaps also a part of adventures, and sometimes learning to overcome fear was part of growing stronger.</p><p>“Do you want me to do it?” Riku offered, knowing full well what Sora's answer would be because Sora never backed away from any challenge that crossed his path.</p><p>Sora took a deep breath and shook his head.</p><p>“I'll be here,” Riku said. “This world gave us magic for a reason. And hey, at least this dragon believes in us, too…”</p><p>“Okay,” Sora said with a shaky exhale.</p><p>Riku dropped his hand to his side, and Sora moved to place the egg on the stony slate in the middle of the shrine. He took a few steps back, and Riku watched as Sora summoned his keyblade, raising it to the sky. After another pause and a deep breath, he called out, “Waterza!”</p><p>A large column of water shot from Sora's keyblade, encircling them in a large waterspout before it launched at the egg with such speed that Riku had to clench his fists to stop himself from reaching out. What if it <em>would</em> destroy the egg, what if they failed their quest before they'd even properly begun it, what if—</p><p><em>No</em>. He needed to have courage. He needed to believe. </p><p>He watched in fear and wonderment as the egg was engulfed by the column of water, whirling round and round, all but shielding the egg from view.</p><p>Then, Riku felt the magic inside of him reacting, flowing through him, into what he knew was the Dream Eater link, into <em>Sora</em>. He brought a hand to his chest as he felt the magic <em>leaving</em> him — it hurt, as if someone had punched him in the stomach and all the wind was knocked out of him. He had the most powerful urge to <em>keep</em> it inside, to hold onto it, but Sora needed it, and he breathed through the urge until it disappeared, letting Sora call on his water magic. It surged out of him in a rush, leaving him empty and gasping; his chest tight, his throat threatening to close.</p><p>The egg was lifted up into the sky, high above them, and Sora gasped too, his keyblade dissipating. Riku watched him trying to move forward, towards the egg, but before he had even taken one step, he dropped to his knees with a cry, curling into himself.</p><p>“Sora!”</p><p>Riku was at his side in a flash, both hands on Sora's shoulders, and Sora looked up at him with wet eyes. They were both drenched in water by now, and it was impossible to tell if Sora was crying or if it was just the water from the spell, but Sora looked so <em>sad</em> and hopeless in that moment that Riku crushed him to his chest, the egg and everything around them momentarily pushed to the background.</p><p>Just as abruptly as the water column had been summoned by Sora, it fell apart into a large wave, splashing everywhere, covering the entire shrine in water. Riku tugged Sora closer to his chest, instinctively shielding him with his body.</p><p>“Riku, the egg!” Sora shouted, and he pushed at Riku's chest until Riku lessened his hold. They both looked up as the egg soared through the air as the waterspout collapsed, right into Sora's arms.</p><p>With the egg safe, Sora collapsed against Riku, and the sudden quiet in the air left Riku's ears ringing.</p><p>It took him several moments to find his voice again. “Sora…”</p><p>Sora looked up at him, a mix of relief and anguish on his face. Riku touched him all over, his soaked hair, the wet skin of his face, and Sora shivered, closing his eyes with a little moan.</p><p>“Sora, are you okay?”</p><p>As he said those words, Riku suddenly felt like he was <em>missing</em> something. Some part of him had been ripped away, and it was more than just the drained magic through the Dream Eater link. It was— </p><p>“Riku…” Sora was crying in earnest now, tears pouring down his face. “It's gone— I can’t feel it anymore… ”</p><p>“What do you mean, gone?”</p><p>It took long moments for Sora to calm down enough so he could speak. He reached out a hand and called out. “Water.”</p><p>Nothing happened.</p><p>“What?” Riku called upon his keyblade, Braveheart as always a comforting weight in his hand. It had never failed him before. “Water!”</p><p>Nothing happened.</p><p>“Cure!” he called out next. With an overflowing feeling of relief, the familiar green leaves encircled him and Sora, alleviating some of the strain on their bodies. Not <em>all</em> their magic was gone… That was something, at least.</p><p><em>The highest sacrifice</em>.</p><p>Riku blinked at the words in his mind, as well as the aching <em>feeling</em> that came with the words, and slowly it dawned on him what had happened. Performing the ritual had taken away their <em>Water</em> magic. And if that was the case, the other rituals would… They would… </p><p>The dragon, who had been watching the entire scene unfold without a word, suddenly spoke to them again.</p><p>
  <em>You are worthy.</em>
</p><p>Riku gathered Sora even closer, one arm around his shoulders and the other hand at the back of Sora's head. They both watched as she nodded to them and spread her wings.</p><p><em>Good luck</em>.</p><p>They sat in shocked silence as the dragon flew off, both of them trying to comprehend what had just happened.</p><p>“You said it, Riku,” Sora whispered eventually, all strength gone from his voice. One of his hands was fisted tightly into the front of Riku's tunic, the other curled around the egg. “This world gave us magic. And now it will take it back because it needs it. We can save this world from the curse by giving the egg our magic elements, one by one.”</p><p>Riku dropped his gaze from Sora's sad smile towards the egg. He reached out to touch it. It reacted to his touch, just like earlier, only now it thrummed deeper… <em>Stronger</em>.</p><p>“It worked…” Riku said, not knowing if he should be sad or happy.</p><p>“It worked,” Sora affirmed, still smiling that same sad smile. “If we keep going, we can strengthen the egg so it can hatch.”</p><p>“And lift the curse…” Riku added, still brushing his fingers through Sora's hair. Sora leaned into the touch, closing his eyes in exhaustion. Shivering, they clung to each other.</p><p>The highest sacrifice, indeed…</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ahhh we finally got to the plot part of the story! I'm so excited!! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!!!</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Aero</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Another massive thank you to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a> for her once-again amazing dragon design for this chapter!! You're the best and I don't deserve you!!! &lt;333</p><p>Also, my friend and collab buddy <a href="https://twitter.com/KeyKidRetto">Retto</a> made another <i>beautiful</i> illustration for this chapter, and I cannot thank them enough... They really outdid themselves this time, it's so wonderful... I hope you will love it as much as I do!!!</p><p>This chapter has a little less plot, but a little more feelings... Because I love... feelings... :)))) Enjoy!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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</p><p>In the end, it was Sora who'd gotten up from the wet, rugged ground first, the slippery egg in one arm and pulling Riku up with the other. Both lost in their own thoughts, they made camp a little ways from the shrine, amidst some old stone ruins of a place that might once have been a house or a small church-like building. What remained of the walls gave them shelter, and they dried their soaked clothes next to a fire they built. Riku made him eat an apple and some of the stinky cheese, even though he wasn't hungry at all, and he sat so close to Riku that they were pressed shoulder to shoulder.</p><p>The skin-on-skin contact made it a little easier to breathe, at least, while the egg in his lap was also a comfort, its powerful hum a reminder of what they'd done this for.</p><p>Sora acutely felt the loss of a part of his magic, the ability he had always loved best, had gotten so good at. He would've given up his form changes, all of his keyblade variants, all of it. Why did it have to be his <em>magic</em>? </p><p>This was only the first of the six magical elements, and already the feeling of loss was impossible to put into words; it was as if a piece inside of him was missing, and the rest of him was trying really hard to fill in the empty space. It squeezed his chest like a t-shirt he'd outgrown and that had become too tight. It sort of reminded him of when Ventus’ and Roxas’ hearts had left his. A piercing emptiness his body was trying desperately to accommodate.</p><p>It made him restless, agitated, and he fidgeted with the apple, turning it over and over in his hands while the part he'd bitten into turned darker and darker brown. But he couldn't find the words to express these feelings out loud. Besides, he didn't want to bother Riku with it, not when Riku must be feeling something similar. </p><p>Because underneath his own, Sora could feel Riku's restlessness as well, even though neither mentioned it. But when they went to sleep after dinner, Riku held Sora even tighter than usual. Sora didn't mind. In fact, it was comforting, Riku's solid chest against his back, Riku's arm curled almost protectively around his waist. At least this was still the same.</p><p>The next day, with nothing but a slice of bread for breakfast, they continued to follow the edge of the lake until they came across a river going north.</p><p>“Looks like as good a path as any to follow…” Riku said thoughtfully.</p><p>Sora agreed. If he focused enough — even though it was hard through the haze of the sadness, the emptiness — he could feel the familiar faint pull on his heart. He knew north was where they needed to go.</p><p>They were both quiet as they walked. Sora had experienced setbacks before; he should be used to this feeling by now. Also — he tried to tell himself even while distress burned at the back of his throat — it was technically not even a <em>setback</em> because everything had gone exactly according to plan.</p><p>The egg was now infused with Water magic, they'd met another dragon: Sydhipel. Sora wasn't hurt, Riku wasn't hurt, everything was…<em>fine</em>. In the grand picture, did it matter if he didn’t have Water magic anymore? Even if he lost each of his magical elements, one by one... Sora had lived without magic before. He could learn to do it again.</p><p>But when a small party of relatively weak Necho Cats appeared, the force with which he swung his keyblade was definitely more than needed. Not even fighting alongside Meow Wow could raise his spirits.</p><p>Okay, he admitted to himself after the last Nightmare was defeated and their Dream Eaters disappeared with small cries of goodbye, maybe he wasn't completely <em>fine</em>. Only he knew if his lip so much as wobbled or if he stared off into the distance for too long, Riku would know. But Riku was sad, too, Sora could feel it. He'd spent years not being completely attuned to Riku's heart and his buried thoughts and feelings, but ever since they started kissing, Sora saw through Riku more and more. And while he loved it when Riku comforted him, it wouldn't be fair to ask this of Riku when Riku was also feeling down. So Sora tried his best to put on a brave face.</p><p>It was a good thing he had a lot of experience with pretending he was okay when deep down he wasn't. Donald and Goofy's gummiship ran on happy faces, after all. He may not believe that anymore, but he'd definitely believed it when he was fourteen.</p><p>Still, it was probably naive to think that Riku wouldn't <em>notice</em> something was off. But maybe Riku would just think it was his own sadness reflecting in Sora. It had happened before — a mingling of feelings between them as if they were each other's emotional sponge. It happened subconsciously, and most of the time Sora was unaware when it was <em>Riku's</em> frustration or fear he was feeling.</p><p>Unable to help himself, he moved closer to Riku and grabbed his hand. Riku immediately squeezed it tight. Sora could allow himself this. Even if he didn't know how talk about the emptiness inside of him, was afraid to ask for Riku's feelings on the matter or for his comfort, the physical contact soothed him and maybe if he focused hard enough, he could feel the void inside himself growing a little smaller.</p><p>Riku carried the backpack, and Sora carried the map, and both of them were quiet as they walked, apart from the occasional comment about the direction they were going in.</p><p>Merlin hadn't told them where to go after the water shrine, but he <em>had</em> told them to stick to the paths, so that's what they were doing.</p><p>Or, it <em>had</em> been what they were doing, until there suddenly was no more path.</p><p>Sora could tell Riku was trying really hard not to sigh or frown, but Sora knew him too well not to feel his frustration anyway.</p><p>“I'm sorry…” Sora muttered. “The map really showed a path here.”</p><p>“No, don't be sorry…” Riku stared off into the distance for long seconds before shaking his head. Then, he bent over the map with Sora, and they traced the river and the adjacent path with their fingers.</p><p>Maps were confusing at the best of times — furthermore, it was usually Donald who read them, not <em>Sora</em> — and Sora was pretty sure the path that was indicated on the map just wasn't <em>there</em> anymore.</p><p>“You're right… It looks like the map is wrong.”</p><p>“This never happened to me before…” Sora said sadly, swallowing thicky, but he wouldn't cry, he wouldn't cry. </p><p>“Well,” Riku said with a last glance at the map. “I suppose that's part of what makes this an adventure?”</p><p>The smile Riku gave him barely reached his eyes, but it was still enough to make Sora's face soften a little.</p><p>He rolled up the map again. “Merlin told us to stick to the paths, but I suppose it won't be the first time we've made up our own plans as we go along.”</p><p>“Sometimes you just need to improvise,” Riku agreed.</p><p>They continued onwards, following the river. It was still fairly easy-going, despite the lack of an actual path, and up here in the mountains there were not as many Nightmares as down in the woodlands. Apart from some more Necho Cats, things were peaceful up here.</p><p>Of course, Nightmares weren't the <em>only</em> thing they had to cope with, Sora realised as the next challenge presented itself. They heard it long before they saw it: the sound of roaring water.</p><p>“Perfect,” Riku did sigh this time. Sora didn't blame him.</p><p>The sound became louder and louder as they made their way through the grassy upper riverbanks and the smooth rocks in the shallow water along the shore until its source came into view.</p><p>“A waterfall…” Sora said, in awe. Despite the lingering sorrow at having lost a piece of his <em>magic</em>, and despite the hindrance of the steep drop that would inevitably lie beyond, he was suddenly struck by a happy memory. In the Deep Jungle, he had first seen a waterfall — a real waterfall, not a tiny one like on the play island — and he still remembered feeling so <em>small</em> and <em>in awe</em> when standing next to it and looking up.</p><p>That same feeling of awe returned, for a moment cancelling out the sadness and the upset that kept bubbling up inside him, no matter how much he tried to push them down.</p><p>It was…comforting, to realise that even now, there were so many amazing things in the world.</p><p>Once they'd moved as close to the edge as they could get, Sora dropped to his knees on the grass to lean forward a little. He watched the water crash hundreds of feet down to the bottom into a large oval-shaped lake, white mist spraying everywhere.</p><p>Riku grabbed his hood. “Careful!”</p><p>“I’m always careful,” Sora replied automatically, even when he knew that wasn’t really the truth. The effect of his words was a small smile on Riku's face though, which was worth the little lie. Sora automatically smiled back, biting his lip. His heart did this little funny flip, and suddenly he wanted Riku <em>closer</em>, right next to him.</p><p>He got his wish. Riku sank to his knees next to Sora, and they both looked down with matching pensive expressions.</p><p>“It would be so easy if we could just jump down,” Riku said. “Or fly down…”</p><p>Sora nodded wistfully. “Yeah… I would be willing to do it, too, if it was just the two of us. But we can’t risk the egg…”</p><p>“Yeah, you’re right,” Riku said, and Sora could tell he was trying hard not to sigh again. “We’re going to have to find another way down.”</p><p>Just then, an intense rumbling sound filled the air. Sora looked up to see the dragon they had met yesterday. He gasped.</p><p>“It’s Sydhipel!” Sora called, and he turned to Riku with an unbidden smile on his face. Riku turned his head at the same time to smile at Sora, too, bright like it hadn't been since yesterday, and suddenly like that, Sora found all of his hope again.</p><p>Sydhipel landed in the water next to them with a short, soft growl, bowing her head to them. She looked magnificent, her scales glistening in the bright sunlight, her wings (fins?) shuddering as she lay down into the shallow waters, her gaze intense and watchful.</p><p><em>Come</em>.</p><p>Sora's mind filled with the image of wings, of spinning, rushing down like the rollercoaster in Monstro's amusement park. His face lit up. “You want to take us down? On your back?”</p><p>There was the briefest of nods, and feelings of gratitude and relief not his own, but the <em>dragon's</em>, filled Sora's chest. The brown flowy parts on Sydhipel's head waved when a gust of wind swept over them.</p><p>“Thank you,” Riku said with a hand to his heart, his voice full of relief as well.</p><p>They waded through the lukewarm shallow parts of the river until they could climb onto Sydhipel's back, and once they were settled — Sora in front trying to find purchase on the slippery scales, Riku behind him with his arms around Sora — Sydhipel took off. </p><p>It was exactly like the vision Sora'd had moments before. A swift flight into the air, followed by a massive drop all the way down. They were spinning round and round, and Sora had to grab onto the scales and clamp his legs around the Sydhipel's back to prevent falling off. Behind him, Riku let out a surprised yelp, his arms tightly around Sora's waist. Really, it was a miracle neither of them dropped down into the lake below…</p><p>It was over within moments when, with a splash, they crash-landed in the water. Sora's heart was in his throat immediately and then, for the second time in as many days, they were covered by a massive tidal wave. But this time, instead of making him feel sad, his heart soared with the water, and something inside of him shifted back into place.</p><p>There was no time for moping. They had a job to do.</p><p>Sydhipel was kind enough to swim over to the shore so Sora and Riku could get off. Even so, they were both soaked once again. Sora chuckled as he looked down at his drenched tunic and boots. This was becoming a pattern.</p><p>
  <em>Thank you.</em>
</p><p>And before Sora could ask her more — where they were supposed to go next, how she knew they needed help, if she would stay to keep them company — she took to the skies once more.</p><p>“Dragons,” Riku muttered, barely loud enough over the roaring of the waterfall.</p><p>“Dragons,” Sora repeated because he liked the way Riku sounded when he was a little petulant like that.</p><p>Sydhipel's help had given both of them renewed courage, the tightness in Sora's chest lessened, and one glance at Riku showed his face more relaxed, too. It was still early afternoon, judging by the sun's position, but they were soaked, the sun was shining brightly, and the lake looked beautiful. </p><p>It would be a waste if they didn’t go swimming in it…</p><p>“I think we deserve a break,” Riku said, at the same time Sora said, “Shall we sleep here tonight?”</p><p>Before he was consciously aware of it, Sora stepped forward to wrap his arms around Riku’s waist and bury his face into his soaked tunic, inhaling a smell part wet, part <em>Riku</em> — heady and familiar. Riku always smelled crisp, like the air after a lightning storm, and something sweet, like the paopu candies from their childhood. The fabric of Riku's tunic was cold and wet and a little bit icky, but also it was <em>Riku</em>, and he hadn't known how much he needed this until right this moment. It wasn’t like Sora to keep his thoughts and feelings inside; he wasn’t good at it. Not the way Riku was and hadn’t he been trying to tell Riku for years that he shouldn’t bear his burdens alone?</p><p>“Thank you,” Sora mumbled, shivering with coldness and wetness and something deeper.</p><p>“What for?” Riku’s hand curled into his wet hair, fingers twisting around a strand at the back of his head.</p><p>“For being here with me. For being my comfort.”</p><p>“Oh, Sora… You don’t have to thank me for that.” A pause, as he felt Riku's chest expand with deep inhale. “I’d do anything for you. You know that, right?”</p><p>Sora sniffled. He knew, yes. Riku had told him before. Sora had <em>seen</em> it before, dreamt about it, still. Felt it as well, every time Riku's eyes watched him fondly yet intently. Still, it was something so big that it was hard to believe sometimes.</p><p>What had he done to deserve Riku?</p><p>“I love you,” he said instead of answering that question, tightening his arms so hard around Riku’s waist that he heard Riku exhale sharply. Sora kissed the lukewarm fabric his lips were pressed against, and in turn, he felt Riku bury his face into his hair.</p><p>“I love you too,” Riku replied softly. Sora was usually the one to say the words first, but Riku had always said them back.</p><p>At the words, the emptiness inside his chest felt smaller again.</p><p>“You wanna go swimming?” Sora asked, pulling back so he could look up into Riku's deep, bright eyes. Riku huffed fondly as he bent his head. They kissed for real, then, their lips cold and slick. It was a chaste kiss, more for comfort than anything, and Sora relaxed completely in Riku's arms.</p><p>“Yeah.” Riku's breath ghosted warm over Sora's face as he pulled back.</p><p>They undressed and placed their tunics on the sun-warmed stones beside the lake to dry. The backpack with the egg was carefully placed between the stones, in the shade and out of the wind.</p><p>It had been ages since Sora had been in the water to swim, and even longer since he got to swim with <em>Riku</em>. He had almost forgotten how free he always felt in the water. He’d been one of the best swimmers on the islands, better even than Riku after a certain moment, one of the few things he consistently managed to beat Riku at. Things hadn’t changed much, he quickly found.</p><p>He was still faster when they raced, but Riku was too good at <em>cheating</em>, wrapping an arm around Sora’s ankle to pull him back until they were side by side again. Sora giggled and tried to half-heartedly squirm free, kicking his legs until he slipped out of Riku's grip. They darted around each other like dolphins, Sora diving under, Riku chasing him — moving over and under each other, their bodies slippery and always close together.</p><p>Underneath the surface, the water was so clear that Sora could see the silver wave of Riku’s hair, his eyes open and sparkling with the rays of sunlight that filtered into the water. </p><p>When Sora came up for air, shaking the water from his hair and eyes, Riku touched his bare waist, drawing him in. They treaded water as they kissed, bumping knees, but Sora really didn’t care when Riku’s tongue was doing <em>that</em>. Riku pulled him closer, deepening the kiss further, and someone moaned. It might’ve been Sora, but he didn’t particularly care.</p><p>When the kiss slowed down, Sora pulled away, grinning, biting his lip as he dove under once more, getting Riku to chase him again. Riku did, of course, and after long moments, he slowed down enough for Riku to catch him. Riku kissed him again, underwater this time, the taste of the water mingling with the taste of Riku's lips as they spun around, and something warm settled deep in Sora's stomach, driving away the last of his lingering insecurities.</p><p>They broke the surface again, gasping, grinning, their soaked hair plastered against their faces.</p><p>Sora laughed, happiness bubbling up into his throat, which in turn made Riku smirk a little as he brushed his hair out of his eyes. They swam some more, splashing each other, playing around until they'd finally tired each other out and languidly swarm towards the waterfall, diving under to find a massive hidden underwater cavern.</p><p>If they didn't have the egg to go back to, Sora would have wanted to stay here all afternoon. Maybe they could play pirates and mermen and hunt for red anemones or treasures, just like when they were kids. Sometimes Riku was the pirate hunting for treasure and Sora was the merman who helped him. Sometimes they were both pirates, fighting off the evil octopuses with their wooden swords. And sometimes they were both mermen, collecting shells and anemones to decorate their underwater cavern home. It was Sora's favourite make-believe story, until one day Riku claimed to be too old for pretend; they should just race each other instead.</p><p>Sora was pretty sure Riku would play with him now, though, if he asked.</p><p>He didn't. Instead, he heaved himself out of the water and onto one of the green, slippery rocks. He watched with a smile as Riku dived back and forth under the waterfall a few times. When eventually, Riku had tired himself out, he pulled Sora back into the water, and they swam back to the shore side by side.</p><p>“That was fun,” Sora said happily.</p><p>Riku just smiled.</p><p>That night after they’d made another pot of fish stew to eat with the last of the bread, Riku pulled the journal out of the backpack.</p><p>“Huh,” he said, surprised. “It’s not wet at all.”</p><p>Sora leaned closer, brushing his fingers over the dry paper. “It’s magical?”</p><p>“Looks like it, yeah. That’s good. I was worried it would've been ruined by the water.”</p><p>They had placed the egg between them, and its warm, slightly pulsating presence was a constant reminder for Sora to keep thinking about what they were doing this for, everything that Merlin had told them. The egg, the balance of this world, the dragons, the <em>people</em> of this world. With his head full of spiralling thoughts, he focused on the journal, looking at the way Riku bent over it, tapping the pen on the page while he was getting ready to write down the events of the past two days.</p><p>Then, he looked up, directly at Sora. “Did you wanna write in it instead?”</p><p>Sora nodded rapidly.</p><p>Riku handed him the journal and the pen, and Sora drew up his knees so he could rest the journal against it as he wrote. He knew it was probably too dark for Riku to see what he was writing, but he still turned a little so he could just focus on the words.</p><p>The noises all around them were soothing. The crackling fire in front of them, the roar of the waterfall in the distance. Some strange animal noises in the distance as well, but Sora wasn't scared anymore. Instead, the sounds were a welcome background noise to calm his racing thoughts as he scribbled down all that had happened since yesterday morning. </p><p>When he was done, he closed the notebook and held it to his chest for a second. Writing down his thoughts had been surprisingly healing, and he breathed deeply for a few seconds. Riku nudged his shoulder.</p><p>“Can I read it?”</p><p>After a brief pause, Sora handed over the journal.</p><p>Riku read as Sora shifted so he was on his knees behind Riku, draped around his back like a warm blanket, his chin resting on Riku's shoulder. He felt Riku shiver, saw the way his hands trembled on the journal for a moment.</p><p>Then, lowly, Riku began to read out loud. He read about the magical sacrifice, and the aching hole it had left in Sora's chest. He read about the way Sora hadn't know what to say as they walked, about the waterfall and Sydhipel carrying them down. And then—</p><p>“I was really sad last night and this morning,” Riku read, his voice now dropping to a mere whisper. “I didn't want Riku to worry for me as well, and I didn't know how to tell him how I felt. But then, after the dragon left, we hugged, and I felt a lot better. I'm really glad he's with me.”</p><p>Sora leaned heavier against Riku, until they collapsed together in a pile of limbs, shifting so Sora was curled into Riku's side, Riku's arms around his chest. The fire warmed his back while he stared up at the dancing flames reflected in Riku's eyes.</p><p>“You can always tell me when you're sad,” Riku said softly.</p><p>“I know,” Sora said. “I will. It's just hard, sometimes.”</p><p>Riku tugged until Sora was lying completely on top of him. “Yeah. Feelings are always hard. But we can figure them out together, okay?”</p><p>“Okay.”</p><p>Sora reached for the egg, wrapping one arm around it before making himself comfortable. He fell asleep with his legs on either side of Riku's and his ear pressed to Riku's heartbeat.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>After two more days, the river branched out into a dozen smaller streams, and clouds started appearing all around them, until — from one moment to the next — they were <em>walking</em> on them, as solid as the rocky grounds they'd walked across before. The brooks flowed down towards their left as the clouds took them up, creating a magical path forwards.</p><p>This part of the world looked familiar to Sora, and with a jolt, he realised why. “Oh, we must have passed into the Aero province! This is the place I was before. It looks exactly the same. Look, there's the rainbows I used to glide across!”</p><p>Sora ran over to the beginning of one of the rainbow slides. He turned back around before the stepped on it. “Come on, Riku! We gotta go look for the new map treasure chest!”</p><p>But Riku was already behind him. Just as he reached Sora, the wind — which had been strong from the moment they crossed the border — swelled and gathered around them, the strength of it becoming a minor hurricane, the roar of it drowning out all other noise. Sora looked up at the clouds racing past and then— </p><p>Through the clouds burst another dragon, this one possibly even more majestic than the two they'd met before. His torso and massive tail were iridescent mint green, the underside of his feathered wings a shimmering pastel yellow, the colours changing with his every movement. The powerful beat of his wings sent gales in every direction, and Sora had to stand his ground to avoid being blown backwards. Riku grabbed his elbow as the dragon turned around in the air to face them, and through watering eyes, Sora could make out his massive claws and the long whiskers on his jaw.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
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  <p>-- Art by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a></p>
</div><p>Somehow, he knew this dragon was old, a lot older than the ones they'd met before. It stared at them, flapping its enormous wings up and down to stay in place, and Sora felt <em>small</em>, measured, the dragon assessing who these two humans were that had come into his domain. It wasn't judgmental, though, merely…he felt <em>seen</em>, the way Riku sometimes looked at him to <em>see</em> him. </p><p>After long moments, the dragon seemed to come to a decision, and he turned around and flew off in the direction of the mountain peaks in the distance.</p><p>Sora beamed after him and then back up at Riku. “Race you there!”</p><p>They chased each other over the rainbow slides, something Riku was surprisingly good at (which was completely unfair since Sora should've been the expert here with all the practice he'd had).</p><p>The rainbows were wide enough for both of them to glide side by side, but Sora found if he stayed in the centre, he was able to block Riku from moving past. It was a good plan, he thought with more than a little satisfaction, until he felt a pair of hands on his hips from behind. He yelped in surprise as Riku pushed him sideways, flailing his arms to keep his balance. Riku let him go then and flew past him with a burst of speed.</p><p>“No fair!” Sora called, forced to slow down as he tried to find his footing again, unable to stop his pout.</p><p>He could <em>hear</em> the smirk in Riku's voice as he called back. “Should've thought of that before you blocked my way, cheater.”</p><p>Okay, Sora thought with a minor huff of annoyance. Maybe he deserved that.</p><p>Riku reached the end of the rainbow slide first, soaring through the air with his arms and legs out before landing on the ground below with a somersault. Only a few seconds behind, Sora copied his movements. When he looked up, the first thing he noticed was Riku's smirk.</p><p>“Fine, you win,” he grumbled, but he let Riku slide a hand into his wind-ruffled hair and his eyes slipped shut automatically as Riku kissed him, cold lips and noses brushing. When they pulled apart, his cheeks at least were warm, even as he shivered from the cold wind, and his hands were so cold he wanted to bury them in Riku's pockets.</p><p>“My prize,” Riku said as he made an effort to smooth Sora's hair back into place.</p><p>Sora blushed a little more. “You don't have to beat me in a race to kiss me, silly.”</p><p>“Hmm,” Riku hummed, leaning down to steal another kiss. “Okay.”</p><p>“Now, let's go find our map,” Sora said as he pulled away, ducking under Riku's arm to take a look around. They'd ended up in a rocky area surrounded by clouds, and the treasure chest here wasn't hard to find, visible amidst a number of pink-white clouds at the edge of the open space. Sora tapped it with his keyblade, and Riku removed their new map from the chest. As he unrolled it, Sora leaned into his side to look at it as well.</p><p><em>Cerulle</em>, it said in large flowy letters at the top. This province only had a few towns, scattered all over the map. Sora supposed no one wanted to live in a place where there was so much wind <em>all</em> the time. It would have to get exhausting, just doing normal things like walking to the grocery store in the middle of a never-ending storm.</p><p>They used to get storms on the island, and he and Riku weren't allowed outside to play once the thunder rolled in. They had to do <em>inside </em>activities like colouring and chores, and they weren't allowed to <em>yell</em> inside. Storms were so boring.</p><p>“Look,” Riku pointed. “We're not far. I think we're here, and the shrine seems to be behind these mountain peaks.”</p><p>Sora looked up and nodded. “Let's go, then.”</p><p>The shrine turned out to be further away than it looked on the map. It took them two more days of hiking up through the clouds and amidst the relentless winds to reach the way to the mountain pass. Life up here was eerily quiet, there were no birds, no Nightmares, nothing but the dragon to remind them that they weren't the only two beings here in the world here. The Aero dragon showed himself from time to time, signalling Sora and Riku were still on the right path, but he kept his distance, and they didn’t communicate.</p><p>Not until the third day, when they had almost reached the summit.</p><p>The dragon came closer then, flying alongside them as it carefully studied them. Sora had been right before, this dragon was older, and he seemed quieter, more thoughtful than the ones they'd met before.</p><p>
  <em>My name is Largyrem.</em>
</p><p>“Pleased to meet you,” Sora said with a little bob of his head. “I'm Sora.”</p><p>“I'm Riku. Are you here to guide us to the shrine?”</p><p><em>Yes</em>. <em>The shrine. Wind ritual.</em></p><p>The dragon's look shifted to the backpack on Sora's back, and an image of a large hurricane filled Sora's mind. He gasped at the rush of adrenaline that suddenly flooded his system.</p><p>
  <em>Wizards. Help.</em>
</p><p>“We're here to help, yes,” Riku said, his voice a little shaky.</p><p>“But we're not wizards,” Sora added. </p><p><em>Magic</em>. <em>Wizards</em>. </p><p>“Well,” Riku said amusedly, turning his head. “That's one way to look at it. Wizard Sora.”</p><p>Sora laughed and bumped his arm against Riku's. “Wizard Riku. Or wait. You're already a Master, too. Does that make you a Master Wizard?”</p><p>Riku's cheeks got even rosier than the wind had already made them, and with his hair in a ponytail, he couldn't use his bangs to hide the blush and his bashful little smile. Sora grinned.</p><p>“Master Wizard Riku.”</p><p>“Shut up,” Riku said, but there was no heat behind his words.</p><p>“No, I won't!” He sing-sang, proud to have found another thing to make Riku blush. “Master Wizard Riku, Master Wizard Riku, Master Wi—”</p><p>Sora fell silent the moment they turned around a bend in the rock wall, and the ridge beyond and the valley down below came into view. Sora's eyes strayed over the ridge, trailing the rocky path until he saw what had to be the aero shrine, and then beyond. The valley was vast, larger and more open than any place Sora had ever seen. Beyond the endless emptiness of it, there were more mountains looming in the distance, dark behind the misty clouds.</p><p>He took Riku's hand without words.</p><p>“It's okay,” Riku said. “It'll be okay. We can do this.”</p><p>Sora wasn't sure who he was trying to reassure.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Largyrem led them to the shrine, a place that looked virtually the same as the water shrine. The closer they got, the more Sora's hopes sank again in light of what they were supposed to do here. He'd been trying not to think about it too much before, but here he was, knowing he — <em>they</em> — would have to give up another piece of their magic. Right before they entered the circle of stones, he looked to the grey, cloudy skies and took a deep breath, gathering his courage.</p><p>
  <em>You must do this, for the egg. For the Symphony of Sorcery.</em>
</p><p>The dragon's words were as much a comfort as a weight placed upon his shoulders.</p><p><em>I believe in you</em>.</p><p>As Largyrem settled down a safe distance away, Sora moved to shrug off the backpack, but Riku stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Sora shot him a questioning look.</p><p>“Let me do it this time.”</p><p>Sora thought back to how much it had hurt, having his magic flow out of him, and feeling, deep down, that he'd lost it for good. He didn't want that for Riku, but then… Riku had lost the magic as well. He realised belatedly Riku hadn't told him what it had felt like for him. He didn't even know how they'd <em>both</em> lost it. Sora had called on Riku's magic through the Dream Eater link, was that what had caused it?</p><p>Had <em>he</em> caused Riku to lose his magic as well?</p><p>Before he could follow that train of through any further, Riku cupped his face and brought their foreheads together.</p><p>“We're in this together, okay?”</p><p>Sora inhaled shakily, but he didn't know how to respond.</p><p>“You did the water shrine. Let me do the aero shrine.”</p><p>Sora nodded, flooded with relief, but then a rush of shame at that relief. How could he be glad that <em>Riku</em> would be the one to give up their magic this time? It must've shown on his face because Riku embraced him forcefully.</p><p>“In the end, the Dream Eater link will take your magic, too. I think it’s just the nature of our…bond.”</p><p>That made sense to Sora. It should’ve scared him, maybe, that their connection was like this, but instead, it gave him comfort and the strength to nod against Riku's chest. He leaned back and reached up to tug a wayward strand of hair behind Riku’s ear.</p><p>He pulled away to rise on his tiptoes and kiss Riku's cheek. “Good luck.”</p><p>Riku smiled, then turned Sora around with a hand on his shoulder, so he could reach inside the backpack for the egg. Mimicking what Sora had done last time, he placed it on the stone in the middle of the shrine before taking a few steps back and summoning his keyblade.</p><p>Sora watched, his hands curled tightly into his tunic, as Riku took a deep breath and braced himself. It reminded him too much of the memory of Riku protecting him from a tower of Shadows, and Sora felt the same sorrow he'd felt then. He closed his eyes for a long moment.</p><p>But he had to be strong. Riku would need his magic for this, would need <em>him</em>.</p><p>“Wind!”</p><p>The magic came easily, springing forth from Riku's keyblade almost from the first syllable. The greenish wind gathered around them, rapidly gaining in strength and size, sucking in all the loose sticks and debris around them as it moved towards the egg. Sora braced himself as he felt himself being sucked in as well, and then suddenly he was <em>outside</em> the ring of air, and the wind hit him full in the face, blowing his hair back, tugging at his tunic.</p><p>Before he could scramble towards Riku again though, Sora felt the tug on the Dream Eater link, inexplicable as always, and then the rush of something draining out of him. </p><p>The tornado grew further, spinning even faster until it engulfed the egg and sent it rushing into the air.</p><p>Riku's keyblade dropped to the ground with a clank that was loud, yet barely audible over the rush of the wind magic. Then the blade dissolved. Sora fought the heavy feeling in his limbs, moving forwards against the wind until he was close enough to curl his hand into the sleeve of Riku's tunic.</p><p>It was easier, somehow, this time, because they knew what to expect. But it was still painful, especially now that they knew what it meant, how they had given up yet another part of themselves… <em>Forever</em>.</p><p>Tyrsat had wanted them to take the egg.</p><p><em>The highest sacrifice</em>, Sydhipel had said.</p><p><em>You must do this, for the Symphony of Sorcery</em>, Largyrem had said.</p><p>The egg spun round and round in the tornado, until the whirlwind rushed outward, pushing Sora and Riku backward until their backs were against one of the stone slabs of the shrine. The egg was sent through the air, and Sora struggled forward to catch it.</p><p>When he turned around, Riku stood with his hands on his knees, breathing hard.</p><p>“Riku… You were amazing, Riku,” Sora said, moving towards him to place the egg in Riku's arms, one of his own hands on the shell too, the warm pulse inside soothing. “You can feel it. The egg got stronger again.”</p><p>Riku smiled down at the egg, a smile equal parts sad and hopeful.</p><p>
  <em>Thank you.</em>
</p><p>Largyrem approached them, the ground underneath their feet rumbling with his every step. He was better at forming full telepathic sentences than Tyrsat and Syphidel, maybe because he was older.</p><p><em>You truly are wizards. Very powerful. I'm sorry it has come to this, but with the curse— </em> Largyrem paused, raising his gaze to the grey skies above. <em>You're the dragons’ last hope. Something is wrong with the magic of this world.</em></p><p>“You have magic,” Sora said, equal parts curious and timid in the face of this wonderful creature in front of them.</p><p>
  <em>Dragons are born with magic. We are magic. </em>
</p><p>He lowered his head until it was mere inches from Sora and Riku's faces.</p><p>
  <em>What's it like, losing your magic?</em>
</p><p>Sora looked him in the eye, unflinching. Riku was a firm, calming presence at his side. “It hurts. It's like missing a part of you. But I'm not alone. We're doing this together.”</p><p>
  <em>We're all very grateful. We have all felt your presence, your quest. The dragons will help you, as best as we can.</em>
</p><p>“Thank you,” Riku said.</p><p><em>Travel to Frigis, the Blizzard province, next</em>. <em>Follow the path and cross the valley</em>. <em>Good luck</em>.</p><p>Then, with a last bow, he spread his wings and flew off.</p><p>The loss of magic had hit Riku hard, just as hard as it had hit Sora at the first shrine, and Riku swayed on his feet until Sora steadied him with both hands on Riku’s shoulders. Even though the remains of the Aero spell had vanished, the regular rough winds up here hadn’t, and it was still freezing cold, too. Their tunics would not be enough to keep them warm, especially with the lingering fatigue from the ritual.</p><p>“Come on,” Sora said after a short break to gather themselves. “We should get going. If we get down to the valley, it'll be warmer there.”</p><p>Riku didn't put the egg back, seemingly comforted by its presence in his arms, which Sora understood. He had wanted the egg close after the last shrine, its warm, smooth shell a gentle reminder of the fact that they had done a good thing.</p><p>After Sora cast three Curaga's in succession, depleting the remainder of his magic, Riku seemed to recover some of his strength. This made Sora feel better too, and the way down was twice as fast as the way up.</p><p>There was nothing to do but stare at the view in front of them as they walked; the valley vast and desolate. Sora had never seen anything like it. It was one large grey plain, with some patches of grass here and there. The only thing that wasn’t emptiness was a stream in the distance and some grey rocks which seemed to be the ruins of a long-abandoned place, indicating at least <em>once</em> there had been other people here.</p><p>The whole scene made him feel small and forlorn, and when he glanced to his right, Riku's face was tight as well.</p><p>It was nearly dark when they made there way down, Sora having to support Riku the final stretch. Riku was limping a little as they struggled over to the ruins they’d seen from afar. The grass next to the ruins was covered in white flowers, hundreds of them, and it would've been beautiful, <em>romantic</em> even, in any other situation.</p><p>Now, both of them were too tired and anxious to really notice. </p><p>In front of the ruins stood a tree trunk, another sad reminder of what once had been. With a deep sigh, Sora perched down on it, tugging Riku to sit between his legs. Riku wrapped the egg in his arms as he leaned back against Sora's thighs.</p><p>Sora drifted forward, embracing Riku fully, nuzzling their cheeks together. Riku let out a long, drawn-out sigh but relaxed in Sora's arms. It was rare that Sora got to see Riku like this, vulnerable, his walls completely down. Despite the cause, Sora couldn't help but like being the one to give Riku comfort this time. He understood why Riku wanted to protect him, comfort him, because it was a wonderful, warm feeling, having someone <em>want</em> you like this.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>  
</p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>-- Art by <a href="https://twitter.com/KeyKidRetto">Retto</a></p>
</div><p>They sat together for a long time until Sora spoke up softly. “You don't have to carry everything alone.”</p><p>“I know,” Riku replied, barely above a whisper. “And I'm trying, I really am. I don't know why it's so hard for me to tell you how I feel sometimes… I guess I feel better when I can be the one to comfort you, and if I can't do that, I don't know who I am.”</p><p>“You always do so much for me, Riku. Let me comfort you now, instead.”</p><p>Riku made a small sound in reply. He was warm and solid in Sora’s arms, and Sora curled himself around Riku as best he could. The valley in front of them was huge, and the remaining tasks in front of them even bigger, but as long as they were together, they would be able to do this. Sora really believed this now.</p><p>It would be hard, though. Being without magic. They had already sacrificed two elements, there would be four to come, still. They should probably save Cure until last, he realised with a bit of a jolt. How would they even make it through this place without Cure? There hadn’t been that many Nightmare battles yet, but if Merlin had been right, things would continue to get worse, the curse on the castle would continue to spread, and he and Riku would continue to get weaker.</p><p>He could imagine fighting without Water or Aero, but without Cure? Or how would they even make fire without their magic? He knew it was possible, other people did it, but he didn’t <em>know</em> how…</p><p>They had come to rely on their magic so much.</p><p>He suddenly tensed a little at his next unbidden thought. He immediately tried to make himself relax, but Riku had noticed anyway, of course.</p><p>“Sora? What’s wrong?”</p><p>Sora hugged him tighter, shifting forward on the trunk until his chest was completely pressed against Riku’s back.</p><p>He knew he should say it, but he was suddenly shy because it was a <em>stupid</em> thought. Riku loved him. Riku <em>loved</em> him.</p><p>“Riku?” he forced himself to ask.</p><p>“Hmmm?” Riku muttered. </p><p>“If I lose all my magic, will you still like me?”</p><p>Sora didn't know what he had expected, but silence at the question wasn't it. A silence that stretched and stretched, until he mentally kicked himself for even voicing his doubts. What a stupid thing to blurt out. Now Riku thought he doubted his love, which would make everything worse, and <em>he</em> should be the one comforting <em>Riku</em>, he should've just kept his big mouth shut.</p><p>“Do you know what my first memory is?” Riku broke the silence and surprised Sora with the question.</p><p>“No?” Sora's voice broke on the simple word.</p><p>Riku turned his torso around so he could swipe at Sora's tear-stained cheeks with the back of his hand — Sora hadn't even realised he'd been crying — the touch cool and calming. Sora hiccuped.</p><p>“I think I was three or maybe four,” Riku continued. “We were playing on the playground, and you had gone to fetch us more twigs for our castle. And when you ran back, you tripped on something in the grass. Your mom came over to pick you up and comfort you, but you wouldn't stop crying.”</p><p>“I don't remember…”</p><p>“You were very little. I barely remember it myself. It's more… It’s more like an old black and white picture with yellow edges. What I remember most is the <em>feeling</em>.”</p><p>“What happened next?”</p><p>“I felt just as sad as you did at that moment, and there was nothing that I wanted more than for you to stop crying and smile again…”</p><p>“That sounds like you, yes,” Sora said softly, trying to swallow the tears in his throat.</p><p>“I walked over and the second you saw me, you stopped crying.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>Riku nodded. “And you reached for my hand, and we finished our castle together.”</p><p>“Riku…”</p><p>“And I know you remember the night of the meteor shower. Do you remember what I told you then?”</p><p>Sora nodded. He may have lost the memory at one point, taken away in Castle Oblivion and then again when the power of waking took his <em>most precious thing</em>. But after coming back from Shibuya, everything had come rushing back at once, all the memories of Riku, all the <em>feelings</em>. The memory of the meteor shower was strongest of all; Riku with his wooden sword raised to the skies, of his intense expression on his face and the utter determination in his voice. How had Sora ever managed to forget this?</p><p>“You told me you would always protect me. That you'd catch the falling stars and throw them into the ocean to keep us safe. That you'd find the strength to protect—”</p><p>“To protect what matters,” Riku finished. He brought his hand to the collar of Sora's tunic, gently brushing his fingers over the crown pendant. “I gave you this necklace that night.”</p><p>“You swore it would protect me, even when you couldn't be there, when I was scared and alone in my own bed.”</p><p>“I loved you then, and I love you now. And I'll always love you, no matter what.”</p><p>“I love you too,” Sora said, bringing up his hand to cover Riku's.</p><p>“Magic or not. Keyblade or not. I don't care. I would love you.”</p><p>Sora's breath hitched at the fierceness in Riku's voice, the way his brows were furrowed when he stared intensely at Sora.</p><p>“And I’ll tell you as often as you need me to, Sora. You’re my light, my everything. I can’t imagine my life without you. Did you honestly think that would change if we lost our magic?”</p><p>“Well…” Sora muttered, his expression turning a little sheepish. “When you put it like that…”</p><p>“I am putting it like that.”</p><p>“You're such a sap, Riku…”</p><p>At those words, Riku’s cheeks turned pink, and he turned back around in Sora's arms. “Only for you.”</p><p>“Thank you.” Sora embraced him again, and they sat watching the barren landscape in front of them, together, until it got too dark to see.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Stay safe, everyone, in these trying times!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Blizzard</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I seem to have forgotten how to write chapters with less than 10,000 words and for that, I apologize in advance! This one has a little more plot and action... And an appearance by my favourite fairy ;) I hope you enjoy!!!</p><p>As always, the dragon design was done by the amazing <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a> and the illustration is by my wonderful friend <a href="https://twitter.com/KeyKidRetto">Retto</a>!!!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took Riku and Sora two full days to cross the Cerulle valley towards the border between the Aero and Blizzard provinces, just like Largyrem told them to do. Two full days of icy winds not letting up for a second and the landscape barely shifting as they walked; nothing to see but a few hills, the odd stream they had to cross, and occasionally a few random patches of the same white flowers that had also adorned the ruins they left behind. In the distance, the massive mountain peaks loomed, covered by snow. </p><p>There were no paths to follow here, so they just had to navigate the grass and the earth by sight. Over the course of their walk, they checked the map numerous times — not that it really mattered, it was obvious each time that they had gotten a little closer to the scattering of the small villages at the foot of the mountains. They’d decided to make their way to the biggest one: Snaa.</p><p>Over the course of these two days, the only thing that broke the monotony was the parties of Nightmares that crossed their path from time to time. Nightmares that seemed to be getting stronger. Where earlier, they were able to handle them without breaking too much of a sweat, now Riku actually had to pay attention to what he was doing; plan ahead, strategise, line up his attacks with Sora’s. He almost welcomed the distraction.</p><p>In between battles, though, it was boring, and Riku could tell Sora was trying really hard not to be too dejected. Even so, Sora’s face fell a little more each hour. </p><p>All things considered, it was probably a small miracle it took as long as one and a half days for Sora to get bored. And, as Riku well knew, a bored Sora turned into either a clingy Sora or a grumpy Sora.</p><p>Or, in this case, a grumpy, clingy Sora.</p><p>“Rikuuuu,” he whined, wrapping both of his arms around Riku’s biceps tightly, which made it a little awkward to walk. “I’m—”</p><p>“Bored?” Riku interjected with a little chuckle.</p><p>Sora stared up at him, frowning. “How did you know?”</p><p>“I don’t know, the sighing and the dark looks you were giving the grass sort of gave it away. The grass hasn’t done anything to you, you know.”</p><p>“That’s precisely the problem!” Sora said, grinning at his own joke. “I <em>wish</em> it would do something to me, at least then I wouldn’t be so <em>bored</em>.”</p><p>“Careful what you wish for,” Riku said as Sora slid his hands down to grab Riku’s cold fingers in his. The temperature wasn’t <em>that</em> bad, all things considered, and the clouds had even parted a little to allow the sun to peek through, although the wind still made their hands and faces chilly. Clasping Sora’s hand tightly, Riku tucked their joined hands into his own tunic pocket, which was dry and relatively warm at least.</p><p>Sora sighed happily. “Tell me a story?”</p><p>“Okay,” Riku said because that would be a good way to get Sora to perk up a little. Furthermore, he’d not really mastered the art of telling Sora no yet — not that he particularly minded. “What do you wanna hear?”</p><p>“Tell me about…” Sora was silent for a while as he thought, and Riku went back to studying the snow-covered mountain peaks in the distance and the outline of a medium-sized village that they’d seen on the map, where they were hoping to find shelter tonight. “Oh, I know! You told me your first memory earlier. Now tell me about your <em>favourite </em>childhood memory!”</p><p>“Oh,” Riku said, before giving a little huff. Okay, he could do that. He almost blurted out something sappy like <em>All the times you took my hand and smiled at me and let me drag you around</em>, but he bit his tongue just in time. Although… Sora wouldn’t mind, Sora was just as sappy as him, he’d learned very early on. In fact, Sora would probably beam at him and his eyes would sparkle underneath his windswept hair, and maybe Riku would lean down to— </p><p>No. He shook himself. Another time. He’d promised Sora a memory. </p><p>He thought of all the times he’d pressed his lips to scraped knees and elbows, of the moment Riku had gotten two wooden two swords for his fifth birthday and Sora’s eyes had lit up like never before. Of sleepovers and dreams of imaginary worlds full of knights and <em>dragons</em> (and wasn’t that just the funniest thing?).</p><p>“I don’t know,” he said after a few minutes, when he could feel Sora getting restless again. “There’s so many, I don’t think I can pick just <em>one</em> favourite…”</p><p>“Just <em>a</em> favourite memory, then,” Sora said.</p><p><em>Every moment I spent with you</em>, Riku thought again, unwillingly. He smiled a little and bit down on his own lip until it hurt, until the need to spout poetic romance about Sora had been carefully restrained again. Then suddenly, he knew what he wanted to tell Sora.</p><p>“Hey, does it also count after we left the islands?”</p><p>“Sure,” Sora said, skipping ahead to take a look at Riku’s face. “What’re you thinking of?”</p><p>Riku fell silent, trying to think of the right way to put his feelings into words. Sora was walking backwards, still holding Riku’s hand, watching him silently but expectantly.</p><p>“Okay, do you remember…” Riku paused, rewinding his thoughts. “Stupid, of course you remember… But for me, one of my most…precious memories is after we defeated Xemnas together. I don’t think I’d ever felt as weak and vulnerable as in that moment, but you were there, and you wouldn’t give up on me, and you kept smiling at me, and just… I don’t know, it made me feel so <em>wanted</em>. After everything.”</p><p>Riku looked away from Sora’s surprised face, his shining eyes, down towards the ground, counting the white flowers towards his left, scattered amidst the patches of grass. He swallowed thickly, and then almost bumped into Sora as Sora stopped walking.</p><p>Cold hands came up to his cheeks, gently raising his head again.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Riku said. “I didn’t mean to make it <em>sad</em>.”</p><p>“It’s not sad, Riku. It’s one of my favourite memories, too. I was so happy to have found you. I don’t think I can put the feeling I had then into words.”</p><p>“It felt like I was given a second chance. For so long, I was <em>so sure </em>you didn’t want to be my friend anymore. But we sat there on the shores of the Dark Margin, and it was like none of what I’d done mattered anymore. Even though we’d both been through so much, you were still <em>you</em>, and I tried to hope I was still <em>me</em>, and just…”</p><p>Sora slid his hands into Riku’s hair to pull him down, and they kissed, a gentle brush of lips, and Riku was glad for the opportunity to close his eyes so he wouldn’t spill more of his feelings everywhere.</p><p>“Thank you,” he said when they pulled apart, and Sora’s smile was so bright it lit up the entire deserted valley.</p><p>“That was a good story,” Sora replied softly.</p><p>They walked on, hand in hand, the mountains and Snaa now finally getting closer.</p><p>It was funny, even when the gravity of their quest had sunk in, and even when two of their magic types had been taken away from them, Riku felt...<em>at home</em> here. There had been a few difficult moments, he wouldn’t deny that, but that was just part of being alive. Overall, he was surprised he had come to love the thrill of adventure as much as he had. And being by Sora’s side… It was just like being at the Dark Shore together. He was truly happy underneath it all, because Sora was by his side.</p><p>He knew Sora had taken the loss of his magic hard, harder probably than Riku had, but Riku was...surprisingly okay with it. He’d done a lot of scary things in his life: willingly trapping himself in the Realm of Darkness, letting Darkness into his heart once again when he had realised there was no other way. And then, with a confidence he didn’t know he had inside of him, he’d raised his keyblade to the most terrifying enemy he’d ever faced — a tornado of Heartless that had taken all their friends, and that he knew would take him, too, and he’d done it <em>willingly</em>, because he knew in his heart it’s what he needed to do to save Sora. He’d dived across worlds and realms and dreams to find Sora. He’d beaten the <em>Keyblade Master of Masters</em> just to bring Sora home.</p><p>Giving up magic seemed almost tame compared to all that. Also, he had <em>Sora</em>, and Sora was now <em>his</em> in every way he’d wanted and not dared to hope, for so long… He had so much faith in Sora, and by extension, he’d learned to have faith in <em>himself</em>, so… He’d be okay.</p><p>He saw, though, that Sora was struggling with losing his magic. They should probably talk about it at some point because Sora always did better working through his feelings when he had someone to bounce them off of.</p><p>But that would have to wait because by now, they were only moments away from Snaa. They’d hopefully finally be able to sleep in a warm bed here and stock up on food again. A proper rest would be extremely welcome. </p><p>But then, half a mile before the village gates, the air in front of them started to sparkle. Before Riku could call Braveheart to his hand, something — someone? — appeared out of nowhere.</p><p>Riku shielded his eyes with his arm, the light so <em>bright</em> he was unable to look at it directly, and he felt Sora do the same next to him. When the light subsided enough for Riku to remove his arm from his face, his mouth fell open.</p><p>“Fairy Godmother!” He couldn’t help his joyful grin. But as soon as he’d uttered the words, he suddenly thought back to how the Merlin they’d met wasn’t <em>their</em> Merlin, so this Fairy Godmother might not be <em>his</em> Fairy Godmother, and that thought made the delight he felt turn a little bitter and his stomach swirled uncomfortably… Only then— </p><p>“Hello, Riku! Hello, Sora!” Fairy Godmother spoke cheerfully, looking from Riku to Sora and back again. She nodded happily, then glanced down at herself as if to make sure she was all there. Seemingly satisfied, she looked back up. “I’m so glad you boys are safe and sound.”</p><p>“How did you…” Riku stepped forward. Close enough for Fairy Godmother to put a hand on his shoulder and give him a bright smile as she studied his face. A weight Riku didn’t know he’d been carrying was lifted off his chest, and he felt blissfully light — cloudy, like air, which was very fitting for where they were.</p><p>“Well, it was…” she paused, adjusting her hair a little bit with her other hand, even though to Riku it already looked perfectly fine. “Well, I wouldn’t say <em>easy</em>, but achievable. You and I have a special connection, after all.”</p><p>She winked, and Riku smiled.</p><p>“Are you...<em>our</em> Fairy Godmother?” Sora said, tilting his head as he stepped up to Riku’s side and leaned just a little into Riku. Sora had met Fairy Godmother, of course, back when they’d returned from Shibuya. She had stayed with them in the Radiant Garden Research Facility as they had been looked over and prodded and measured for days. They had both been weak, having traversed dreams and worlds for weeks on end until they’d made it back to <em>their world</em>.</p><p>But Riku knew her better, probably, had talked with her for hours, <em>days</em>, about dreams and connections and learning to believe in yourself. She’d seen straight through him, down to his deepest desires. Not only to find Sora, but to stay with him, to <em>be</em> with him, for a million reasons, some of them beyond friendship. She’d helped him find his courage and his strength, when believing in Sora for over a year with nothing but <em>dreams</em> to hold onto had taken too much out of him.</p><p>“Yes, dear. I am, as you say, <em>your</em> Fairy Godmother.”</p><p>“How did you find us? How did you even know where we were?” Riku asked, stumbling over his words in his excitement.</p><p>“Well, I am the dream expert, after all,” she said with a mysterious little smile. “I don’t mean to imply that I see everyone’s dreams, but I think I have a stronger connection to yours, because of our history. And when I felt such a strong tug last night that it woke me up, I knew something had happened.”</p><p>“Last night?” Sora sounded confused. “We’ve been here for over a week!”</p><p>“I’m not surprised,” Fairy Godmother replied. “Time flows differently in the sleeping realm.”</p><p>“So you know?” Riku asked. “You know why this is happening? Where we are?”</p><p>Fairy Godmother looked around, from the barren windy planes to their right, to the snow-covered mountains to their left, then the village behind her. “Well, judging by the hum of magic in the air, this can only be the Symphony of Sorcery. I’d recognise it anywhere, since this is where I first learned magic.”</p><p>“You, too?” Sora exclaimed.</p><p>“Oh, yes. Everyone who has magic learned it here or learned it from someone who’s <em>been</em> here. There are a number of magic schools in this world.”</p><p>“Cool…” Sora whispered with wonder in his voice.</p><p>“So we’re really...dreaming?” Riku said. “Is this really another sleeping world, like the ones Sora and I traversed during our Mark of Mastery?”</p><p>“Yes, indeed. It seems that this world wasn’t woken up completely. Or maybe it was, and something or someone put it back to sleep. It’s hard to say. But what do you say we find a cosy pub with a warm fire and we continue our conversation there?”</p><p>Riku and Sora both nodded.</p><p>“Excellent. But first things first. You boys must be <em>freezing</em>.”</p><p>Riku looked down at himself and then sideways to Sora. Their tunics weren’t as warm as their regular darkness-resistant clothes, it was true. And the winds and the ever-dropping temperatures hadn’t been very kind to them. Next to him, Sora was trembling, and both their breaths came out as little white clouds.</p><p>Fairy Godmother smiled as if someone had just made all her dreams come true, and she held out her hand, in which a sleek, white wand appeared.</p><p>“Now, I may not be as competent as our three good fairies, but I have certainly done this before. And don’t worry.” She winked again. “This spell will last a little longer than just till midnight.”</p><p>Before Riku could ask what she meant, she waved her wand in a circular and muttered, “Bibbidi Bobbidi boo.”</p><p>Pink sparkles flooded from the wand, twinkling in the air around them. Riku felt a warm sort of flutter surround him — like an aero spell, but pleasant and comforting, and he couldn’t stop a shiver from running down his spine.</p><p>When he looked down at himself, he gasped, and he heard Sora coo at his side. His boots, which had already been fairly warm, were now lined with wool, and his trousers were a little thicker than they had been. Windproof too, by the feel of it. But most noticeable of all was the warm winter coat that was wrapped around him, a dark, sandy yellow that went really well with his tunic and boots. He touched the black heart-shaped buttons with his (now gloved) hand, smooth underneath his fingers. </p><p>When he looked at Sora, he gasped. Sora was wearing a similar coat, only it was navy blue with white little crown buttons down the front.</p><p>Sora beamed at him and then at Fairy Godmother. “Thank you!”</p><p>“Oh, it was nothing, really. My pleasure!”</p><p>Sora was so pleased with his upgraded outfit that he was doing his little mountain deer skipping thing again as they made their way into town. Riku glanced sideways, wondering if Sora knew he was doing it. It was really very cute...</p><p>The village was about the same size as the first village they’d come along. There were numerous cobbled streets, with houses lined along both sides of them and a few stores still open — it wasn’t dinner time, yet. It didn’t take them long to find an inn that seemed welcoming enough. When they stepped inside, the stuffy warmth and the smell of roasted meat hit Riku like a tidal wave, overwhelming all his senses after having been outside — and away from people — for so long.</p><p>He let Sora steer them towards a tiny round table near the wall, where he sat down on one of the chairs with his back against the wall. It was too hot with the coat on here, so he was halfway through taking it off when Sora held out his hand expectantly.</p><p>“What?” Riku shot him a questioning look.</p><p>“You’ve got the backpack! I need money for drinks and food. And we’re staying here tonight, aren’t we?”</p><p>“Oh, right.” He handed Sora the backpack, and Sora grabbed a handful of munny from the front pocket. “Be right back.”</p><p>“Tea for me, please, Sora,” Fairy Godmother said cheerfully. Before Sora could walk too, she added, “And for you and Riku, too, hmm?”</p><p>Riku couldn’t suppress his snicker as Sora tried very hard to keep a straight face. “Tea, of course. Yes.”</p><p>Riku watched him zigzag through the crowds for a few moments, until Fairy Godmother gently touched his shoulder. Right. Socialising.</p><p>“So, it looks like you and Sora are doing okay?”</p><p>Riku nodded. “It’s been hard at times, but it’s…nice, travelling with him. I always feel different when I’m doing things with Sora. He makes me feel more adventurous, and I make him slow down. We make a good team.”</p><p>“You certainly do. I’m glad you’re in this together, at least. Although I would not have expected anything else, now that you’ve learned to follow Sora in his dreams whenever he needs you.”</p><p>Riku felt his cheeks flush with more than just the warmth of the inn. “Yeah…”</p><p>“I’m really very proud of you, Riku.”</p><p>“Thank you.” He smiled at the candle and the off-white wax stains on the wooden table. “That means a lot.”</p><p>When Sora came back a moment later with three mugs of sweetened mint tea and the message that their food would follow later, Riku started explaining about the dragons and the egg, and the way they had already given up their Water and Aero magic. Fairy Godmother listened and offered some insight at certain parts, before explaining how she arrived here.</p><p>“Now, I’m not completely sure what is going on here, but I followed Riku’s dream. And Riku had followed Sora’s dream, and now here we all are, in the sleeping realm.”</p><p>“But I thought the sleeping worlds were awakened after our Mark of Mastery? I’m sure I unlocked the sleeping keyhole when I was here before...” Sora said, blowing into his tea.</p><p>“That’s what we thought at the time, yes. But it is possible for a world to fall back into sleep. I haven’t looked into it in detail, but I believe Master Yen Sid has been studying the world of dreams more, too. And it appears to be possible.”</p><p>“We think we arrived here because Sora was pulled in somehow. We actually arrived in the Destiny Islands dream world, first. Or a past world? We met younger versions of ourselves. It was a little confusing.”</p><p>“Hmmm,” Fairy Godmother said, sipping her tea. “Time matters less in the sleeping realm, so that is possible. After all, the Destiny Islands are the world you two are most connected with. Maybe you needed to be pulled into the dream through there. Didn’t your Mark of Mastery journey start there, as well?”</p><p>Riku nodded with a thoughtful expression on his face.</p><p>“I’m sorry, boys, I’m afraid I can’t stay for much longer,” Fairy Godmother said. “It’s taking a lot of my strength to visit you here.”</p><p>“But we’re doing okay, so far,” Riku said, trying to sound as reassuring as he could. “You don’t have to worry about us.”</p><p>“Oh, I know,” she said gently. “You’ve handled hotter fires than this.”</p><p>“That’s not to say this isn’t hard, too,” Riku replied. “But… It’s easier, being here together. This world… I don’t know, even when it’s rough sometimes, it feels comforting. Or maybe it’s because Sora’s with me, this time.”</p><p>“I have no doubts at all that whatever this world expects from you, you’ll pull through.” Fairy Godmother finished her tea before standing up. She motioned for Riku to stand up as well, and when he did, she wrapped him in a motherly hug him with one arm around his back. Riku crouched down against her, and she reached one hand up to cup the back of his head. “Take care, Riku.”</p><p>She brushed a hand across his cheek as she pulled away, and Riku felt peaceful in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. Then she turned to Sora, who stood up as well so he could be crushed in a similar tight hug. </p><p>“You look after him, you hear me?” She pinched Sora’s cheek. Sora pouted, but in a true Sora-esque way his pout almost effortlessly slipped into a smile. “And look after yourself, too, sweetie. I don’t wanna hear about any reckless stunts when you come back!”</p><p>“No, Fairy Godmother,” Sora answered dutifully.</p><p>“Right then. I’m afraid it’s time for me to leave. I can’t keep the connection going for longer. But it looks like you’ve got everything under control here. We can leave the Symphony of Sorcery in your capable hands.”</p><p>And with a final wave, she evaporated into thin air. Riku gasped and looked around the room quickly, but in the crowded space, no one had even batted an eye.</p><p>They sat down again, Sora shifting his chair closer to Riku’s.</p><p>“Hey, Riku?” he said, almost shyly.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“I’m glad she was there to talk to you when I was…<em>gone</em>.”</p><p>“Me too, Sora…” Riku said softly, thinking back to all the nights they’d stayed up to talk and all the tears he’d been unable to hold back, then. And then, the way she’d believed in him just as fiercely as he believed in Sora. It was as much her doing Sora was here, warm and solid by his side…</p><p>The food arrived, then, three large plates of some kind of steak and kidney pie.</p><p>“Oh!” Sora exclaimed. “This means more food for us.”</p><p>Well, Riku thought, as he dug into his portion. Sora always needed the extra calories.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
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</p><p>The next morning, after a wonderful night in a warm bed with blankets and a soft pillow and no winds howling around them, they stocked up on food and potions before heading off on the path the mountains. </p><p>It had started to snow — just a little, tiny flakes that melted just as quickly as they touched their skins and coats. Sora was giddy again, full of renewed energy, which in turn made Riku feel a little better, too. They were halfway up the first pass when Riku turned around and looked down at the rapidly diminishing village in the valley behind them. He stopped to stare for a little bit, narrowing his eyes because of the snowflakes. The floating snow made his vision a little hazy, but Riku saw it anyway.</p><p>He grabbed Sora’s arm.</p><p>“Look,” he hissed, even though he had no reason to speak softly yet. They were much too far away to be overheard.</p><p>Sora narrowed his eyes and peered into the distance. “What?”</p><p>Then Riku felt him freeze, as he saw them too. Two tiny figures in dark outfits, making their way up the mountain. They were too far away to make out in detail, but— </p><p>“Do you think…” Sora said, turning to look at Riku. “They’re…”</p><p>Riku nodded. “It’s impossible to see from here, but as far as we know, only two people here know who we are and would want to track us.”</p><p>“The thieves from before…”</p><p>“Come on,” Riku said, tugging on Sora’s arm, and they set off again into the snow that fell more rapidly, slightly larger flakes twirling around them. It was obvious they had now passed into Frigis, the Blizzard province.</p><p>They moved farther and farther up the mountain, but every time Riku turned around to look at the two figures following them, they had gotten a little closer. It was impossible to go off the path, though, so they had no choice just to keep going. The temperature dropped to what was absolutely sub-zero degrees at some point, and Riku sent a silent thank you to Fairy Godmother for their new outfits. Without them, this would’ve been even harder than it was now.</p><p>When they eventually reached the summit and the plateau on top of the first mountain, they turned in unison to see the thieves behind them even closer.</p><p>“I don’t think we can outrun them…” Riku said.</p><p>“No matter.” Sora summoned his Ultima keyblade and squared his shoulders. “We can defeat them.”</p><p>“You want to <em>fight</em> them?”</p><p>Sora eased his stance a little to turn to him, cocking his head. “You don’t?”</p><p>“They’re—” Riku didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he shook his head and extended his hand to let Braveheart rush into it. “Let’s just…talk to them. This seems like a good spot.”</p><p>There were a few larger-than-human-sized rocks they could hide behind on the plateau, pressed close together and shivering a little in the snowy winds now they weren’t moving anymore. Sora peaked around the corner every few minutes, and his response was the same every time. A little nod followed by a shake of his head. The thieves were getting closer, but not there yet.</p><p>Riku didn’t feel good about this. Fighting Heartless and Nightmares was one thing. Fighting <em>people</em>… He’d done it before, with the excuse of <em>Nobody’s</em><em>have no heart, Riku, do not worry</em>, even though he didn’t… He <em>had</em> to, for Sora, and—</p><p>“Okay,” Sora whispered. “They’re here.”</p><p>Before Sora could jump from behind the rocks, Riku grabbed his wrist. Sora shot him a questioning look.</p><p>“Just,” Riku tried to keep the doubt of his face, but he knew he was failing by the way Sora’s mouth opened in shock. “Just talking, okay? I don’t wanna hurt them.”</p><p>Sora nodded, a flash of understanding in his eyes. Riku let him go, and Sora jumped back out into the open space of the plateau, keyblade in hand. Riku followed suit, and then they were face-to-face with their pursuers.</p><p>“What do you want from us?” Sora bit, his voice steady and low.</p><p>The two figures in front of them were wearing dark brown oilskin capes with hoods, making it impossible to see their faces. For a long moment, nothing happened, but then there was a flash of blue at the taller figure’s side, and Riku automatically raised Braveheart and dropped into his guarding stance, fully alert.</p><p>The smaller figure lowered her hood. Dark red hair and flashing green eyes stared back at them. Riku hadn’t gotten a good look at her before, but there was no mistaking who this was, especially not when she started to talk. “You stole something from us. It was <em>ours</em>. We’re here to take it back.”</p><p>“It wasn’t <em>yours</em> to take,” Sora spat over the winds and the snow.</p><p>There was deep growl from the man. “Maybe not. But it’s <em>definitely</em> not yours to take, either. You’re not from this world.”</p><p>Riku gasped. “How do you know that?”</p><p>“You’re in the world of sorcery, boy. Some of us have a few tricks up our sleeves.” There was a rustle and a flash of movement before the woman had two daggers crossed in front of her chest. “Give us back the egg.”</p><p>“Never,” Riku snarled, gripping his blade even harder.</p><p>“Then you give us no choice,” the woman said. “Maeldin, now!” </p><p>Next to her, the man threw off his hood, too, revealing a head of wild black hair and the darkest set of eyes Riku had ever seen. Then, in one fluid motion, there was a longsword in his right hand. His other hand came up at a ninety-degree angle, his fist raised in Sora’s direction. Riku watched with wide eyes as his fist started glowing <em>blue</em>, and then before he could do anything—</p><p>“Sora!”</p><p>Luckily, Sora had the fastest reflexes out of everyone Riku knew, and the Blizzard spell reflected off Ultima that Sora was now holding with both hands — one on the handle and one pressed flat against the tip of the blade.</p><p>How was this possible — they had <em>magic</em>? How had Riku not seen this before? But then again, the previous time they had seen the thieves, they had been a little preoccupied running away from them.</p><p>Before Riku could follow that train of though, though, three things happened in rapid succession.</p><p>One, Riku, despite his earlier hesitations, sent a Dark Firaga towards their enemies to try and hold them off.</p><p>Two, the man — Maeldin — called out, “Nim!” and in the blink of an eye, with a snap of her wrist, a <em>Nightmare</em><em>Iceguin Ace</em> appeared out of nowhere to take the hit.</p><p>“What—” Sora and Riku called out simultaneously.</p><p>And three, there came a deep rumbling sound from somewhere nearby that made them all pause.</p><p>Seeing that Maeldin and Nim were just as shaken out of the moment as he was, Riku whirled his head around. An avalanche maybe? He didn’t know what avalanches would sound like, but they were up in the mountains and there was snow, so…</p><p>He returned his attention to the fight at hand. More Nightmares popped into existence, and oh, this was <em>bad</em>. Fighting Nightmares alone would’ve been okay, but Riku didn’t <em>actually</em> want to hurt the humans, too, only—</p><p>“Riku, what do we do?”</p><p>Riku’s brain was working overtime, thoughts racing this way and that, trying to think of a plan, but there was no way out of this that didn’t involve fighting, not that he could think of. When the first Iceguin Ace advanced on them, Meow Wow and Komory Bat appeared, trustworthy as always. They made the decision for him, charging off into the dozen Nightmares and the two thieves with apparently magic powers, and Riku shared a nod with Sora.</p><p>But then, just as his keyblade landed a hit on the closest Iceguin Ace, the rumbling sound started again, even louder now, and through the clouds and the snowflakes appeared a massive creature — charcoal and white with a set of iridescent horns — pink and aqua, almost see-through, but <em>beautiful</em>. Riku only had a few seconds to admire him, though, because the dragon was rushing <em>straight for them</em> and—</p><p>And Sora was rooted in place.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
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  <p>-- Art by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a></p>
</div><p>Riku drew up a barrier that sent the Nightmares back a few steps, then called on his Dream Eater link powers. He let the familiar, comforting surge of power seep into him and he didn’t even have to look, he knew he’d merged with Komy as he’d done a hundred times before, back during the Mark of Mastery. Then, with a rush of strength, he pushed up from the ground, feeling his bat wings stretch themselves out and it was <em>easy</em>, the way it had always been easy, to soar towards where Sora was standing, frozen in shock behind the gradually failing barrier. He was staring at the dragon with Paopu on his shoulder, just as petrified—</p><p>“Sora!”</p><p>Sora’s eyes snapped from the dragon back to him, and Riku rushed at him as fast as the wind, gathering Sora in his arms and <em>flying</em> up into the air with both of them. Sora collected himself quickly, clinging to Riku’s shoulders, and Meow Wow wiggled his way between them with a little cooing sound.</p><p>“Riku, you’re <em>flying</em>,” Sora gasped, elated, his eyes bright and shining. </p><p>This was no time to smirk, and <em>definitely</em> no time to kiss, but Riku couldn’t help himself. Maybe it was the adrenaline or the way Sora was looking at him, but he bent his head down to capture Sora’s slightly parted lips in a crushing kiss, hot and maybe just a little bit possessive— but Sora moaned and reached a hand into his hair to hold his head still.</p><p>It was exhilarating; the rush of the flight, the giddy relief of having escaped the fray, the feeling of Sora so <em>close</em> and Riku spun them around mid-air like a gummiship doing barrel rolls as they kissed. </p><p>But Riku could feel the power of the link steadily draining him, and he knew he’d have to get them to safety. Also, there was still the matter of the thieves and the Nightmares, and the <em>dragon</em>, and gods, when did their lives become so complicated once again?</p><p>When Riku pulled away, grinning a little at Sora’s sound of disapproval, he turned his head around to see the blizzard dragon exhale a powerful ice spell that froze the entire scene below them. One by one, the Nightmares disappeared from existence, and the thieves turned to crystal as they watched.</p><p>Sora gasped, and Riku frowned. Well then.</p><p>With the last of the link rapidly diminishing, Riku took them down to the ground, where he collapsed to his knees as soon as Komory Bat’s power drained out of him. Sora was on his knees in a flash, one hand on his shoulder, Ultima back in his hand.</p><p>“Riku!”</p><p>“I’m okay,” Riku coughed, sputtering as he adjusted to the feeling of having his body to himself again, Komy flying into his arms. His back ached, a dull throb between his shoulder blades which lessened a little when Sora ran his hand down over the back of his coat. </p><p>Riku looked up to see the dragon — breathtaking, formidable, <em>cold</em>. With every breath he exhaled, tiny ice flakes fluttered through the air, mingling with the snow. The dragon’s eyes were the exact same radiant aqua that stared back at Riku when he looked into the mirror. Half of Riku felt fear in the face of this creature, seeing what he’d done to the thieves, scared for their own lives, scared for <em>Sora</em>, but deep down he felt they could trust him — as they’d been able to trust all the dragons so far.</p><p>There was a deep rumble from the dragon. <em>Welcome to Frigis</em>.</p><p>And was he…laughing?</p><p><em>You bring hope with you after many weeks of despair</em>.</p><p>He was looking at the backpack still on Sora’s back.</p><p>
  <em>I will help you keep the egg safe.</em>
</p><p>“What did you do to them?” Riku asked, more demanding than he’d meant, as his gaze moved to the thieves, frozen solid. There was another rumble, and an amused feeling passed over Riku. Okay, the dragon was definitely laughing.</p><p><em>Do not worry. They are merely frozen. They will thaw again in a few hours</em>.</p><p>Sora let his keyblade disappear and stood, pulling Riku up with him. Komy fluttered into his arms, and Riku allowed himself to rub their cheeks together for a bit of warmth and comfort before both their Dream Eaters disappeared again with two little pops now that the battle was over.</p><p>“Thank you,” Sora said to the dragon. “What’s your name?”</p><p><em>Darrid</em>.</p><p>“Thank you, Darrid,” Riku said. He still felt a mix of fear and awe, too, only now his feelings were shifting in the direction of trust.</p><p>
  <em>To the blizzard shrine, yes?</em>
</p><p>“Yes!” Sora exclaimed. “How do you know?”</p><p>
  <em>All dragons know.</em>
</p><p>“Where is it? We haven’t found the map yet, where do we go?”</p><p><em>I’ll take you. Frigis is very big</em>.</p><p>Darrid lowered himself to the ground, and now that Riku looked closer at him, he saw the soft aqua and pink spots on his body, the bright aqua claws of his feet, and this dragon radiated a kind of <em>peace</em> that the others hadn’t. The fear faded from his heart completely, and he smiled.</p><p>“You’ll take us?” Sora uttered. “Really? To the shrine?”</p><p><em>Yes</em>.</p><p>“Ohhh, Riku,” Sora turned to him, nudging his shoulder with a wide grin on his face. “We’ll get to ride on a dragon for real! How cool is that?”</p><p>Riku couldn’t help but reach out to brush some snow out of Sora’s hair, and he repressed the sudden urge to kiss him again in favour of bringing their foreheads together for a brief moment.</p><p>“Very cool,” he agreed.</p><p>They climbed onto the dragon’s back — Darrid’s skin was strangely warm in spite of the fact that he was a <em>blizzard</em> dragon, and he was soft like a cosy fleece blanket. Riku entwined his hands into the fur at his neck, and Sora settled behind him with his chest pressed to Riku’s back, two arms around his waist. They <em>just</em> fit in front of his wings, although it was a bit of a tight squeeze.</p><p>When they set off, the flight was…<em>magical</em>, there was no other word for it. Darrid rose into the air, and as they rushed higher and higher, Riku felt the rumble of the dragon’s merriment, deep chuckles that vibrated into his legs and left him warm in spite of the freezing air all around them.</p><p>They flew north, judging by the position of the pale, watery sun breaking faintly through the clouds, illuminating the surface of the snow beneath them. Mountain peaks and valleys rushed by underneath them, and behind the mountains lay a massive sea, not yet fully frozen by the grips of the cold.</p><p>Riku felt Sora shift behind him, peeking over his shoulder at the dark, distant waters below. The surface rippled as they watched, mesmerised, as dark blue shapes slid up from the surface and back down again in undulating waves.</p><p>“Whales,” Sora exhaled close to his ear, clinging tighter around Riku’s waist. After a pause, Riku dared to let go of Darrid’s fur with one hand to cover one of Sora’s where it was resting against his stomach.</p><p>The sun disappeared behind the clouds again, and still, they flew onwards. Riku’s legs started to go numb, and the wind bit into his skin, leaving his ears and cheeks tingling with the cold. They were over the ocean now though, nowhere to land or pause, so there was no choice but to endure it. He forced himself to breathe deeply, despite the way the air currents around them tried to steal his oxygen every time he wanted to inhale.</p><p>“Well,” Sora chuckled behind him. “I’m really glad we don’t have to walk all this. It would’ve taken us <em>weeks</em>.”</p><p>Leave it to <em>Sora</em> to know just what to say to raise his spirits again.</p><p><em>Hang in there. Just a little further</em>.</p><p>The sun sank into the mountains beyond the ocean to their west, but the world didn’t turn dark. Instead, a colourful light show illuminated the air all around them, bright fluorescent green and pink dancing in waves in the night sky. The stars paled in comparison, and the entire display was surreal, unearthly, and one of the most wonderful things Riku had ever seen.</p><p>“It’s beautiful…” Sora’s breath was warm against his ear, and Riku was hit by a wave of affection and tenderness that made his chest ache. </p>
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  <p>-- Art by <a href="https://twitter.com/KeyKidRetto">Retto</a></p>
</div><p>There were so many beautiful things in all the worlds, and he got to experience them with Sora. With <em>Sora</em>. How many times had he forced himself to give up on this dream, sure Sora wouldn’t want the same, wouldn’t want <em>him</em>, not in the same way Riku wanted Sora? But now they were <em>here</em>, and Sora was his <em>boyfriend</em>, and Riku had never felt so sure and comfortable with himself as these days. He’d found confidence before, after he’d taken the road to dawn, with every promise he’d made to stay by Sora’s side, no matter what, but that confidence had been enhanced a thousandfold by the knowledge that Sora loved him just as much as he loved Sora. That Sora wanted to sleep in his arms, wanted to kiss him, trusted Riku with all his fears and thoughts — even when sometimes it took him a while to open up about them. It’s not as if Riku wasn’t the same in that regard. </p><p>Magic was fun and important, and yeah, maybe he’d come to rely on it, but it all paled in comparison to how <em>complete</em> his life was like this.</p><p>He knew Sora was struggling with it, and that was okay, too. It was just another opportunity to find each other in the middle, to learn from each other, another way in which their personalities could complement and enhance each other.</p><p>In the distance, a landmass came back into view, illuminated beneath the dancing light displays, and soon after, the dragon started descending. They landed in the snow, on the edge of a pine forest, not far from the ocean. The entire world here was white and seemed to be glowing in the shine of the stars and the moon and the faintly swirling lights in the night sky. Though it was nighttime, it wasn’t dark at all.</p><p>It was magical.</p><p>Riku was stiff as a board as he slid off Darrid’s back into the snow, and he rubbed his arms and thighs to try and get some feeling back into them. Sora, unsurprisingly, recovered a lot faster, stretching a little and doing a few air squats before smiling up at Riku.</p><p>“Look at all this <em>snow</em>, Riku! Isn’t it wonderful?” Sora spread his arms and let himself fall backwards into the soft embrace of the snow, flapping his arms and legs as he laughed. “We should make snow angels!”</p><p>As if on cue, Sora’s stomach rumbled so loudly even Riku heard it.</p><p>“Huh.” Sora smiled sheepishly. “Dinner first, maybe?”</p><p>Riku snorted and nodded.</p><p>“Will you stay with us?” Sora asked Darrid as he clamoured back to his feet. “All the dragons so far have left us. I’d really like you to stay…”</p><p>
  <em>Dragons are solitary creatures. Most of us do not know or like humans.</em>
</p><p>“Yeah,” Riku chuckled. “We got that.”</p><p><em>But I will stay if you wish. I will keep you warm tonight. The shrine is not far, I will take you there tomorrow</em>.</p><p>“Great!” Sora grinned. Then his face fell. “Riku, what are we going to <em>eat</em>, everything’s covered in snow.”</p><p>Riku put his hand on his hip, taking in their surroundings. The forest was dark and uninviting, and the open space between where they were and the sea’s edge was one large blanket of white. “You don’t need to cook. We’ve got bread and nuts.”</p><p>“I would <em>die</em> for something warm though. Soup or stew… Something with vegetables...”</p><p>Riku grinned. There had been a time when the only green things Sora would eat were the green and yellow paopu candies back on the islands, but Sora was nothing if not surprising.</p><p>
  <em>There is food beneath the snow.</em>
</p><p>“Oh, perfect!” Sora said, taking off his backpack to hand it to Riku. “I’ll go and find us something edible! Be right back!”</p><p>Riku set about making the fire and setting up the small camp as Sora started searching the land for vegetables beneath the snow. Riku realised he had no idea food could grow in such a dire environment, but then again, he was an island boy. He’d been all over the worlds now, including worlds covered in snow, but back then he’d been a little too preoccupied to think about the crops that grew in non-tropical climates.</p><p>Once Riku had the fire going, Sora came back with two round vegetables in his hands. Riku had seen them before, had watched as Axel made them dinner sometimes in the Twilight Town mansion, ages ago. Axel liked cooking, but Riku suspected it was mainly because it meant he got to be close to the stove and the fire to do it.</p><p>Axel was surprisingly good at it. Not as good as Sora, though.</p><p>“Cabbage?” Riku asked.</p><p>Sora nodded with a sigh, then pouted a little and stuck out his tongue. “Blegh.”</p><p>“You trained under a master chef.” Riku grinned at him, challenging in the way he knew would evoke a response. “I’m sure you can figure out how to make it tasty.”</p><p>“Oh, I <em>can</em>,” Sora retorted, his eyes sparkling with the challenge.</p><p>And he did. It was amazing what Sora could do with just a few ingredients. The chopped cabbage, some dried beans they’d gotten from the town’s food store, and a dozen different spices that Sora had insisted they needed to stock up on.</p><p>Riku didn’t dare get in the way — Sora always liked cooking alone, insisting Riku should just be patient until it was done — and settled down with his back against Darrid. The dragon had settled down close to the fire, curled in a half-moon to give them shelter from the wind. </p><p>“You’re a blizzard dragon, right?” Riku wondered out loud. “Doesn’t the fire bother you?”</p><p>An amused growl rolled through the air.</p><p><em>Tiny human fires cannot harm me</em>.</p><p>“Oh, yeah, I suppose…”</p><p>While Sora cooked, Riku got out their journal to write and then filled the rest of the time with sketching little doodles of the scene in front of him. Sora on his knees, face relaxed in a half-smile as he tilted his head to briefly taste the cabbage soup.</p><p>He would never get tired of looking at Sora.</p><p>The soup was warming and spicy and surprisingly filling, and they sat side by side, leaning against the dragon’s side and each other. Darrid seemed content to just keep them company — maybe he was tired too from the long flight, Riku wondered. It had certainly been an exhausting day for all of them.</p><p>When they’d finished the pot full of soup, Sora produced a handful of frozen berries from somewhere. With a smile, he held a few up to Riku’s face, and Riku got the idea, opening his mouth for Sora to place the berries on his outstretched tongue.</p><p>“Dessert!” Sora said happily as Riku sucked on the frozen berries, sweet and rich in his mouth as they melted, but before they were fully thawed so he could chew and swallow them, Sora leaned in to kiss him. Warm, wet mouth and Riku’s lips tingled as Sora licked at them, running his tongue along the seam slowly, a gentle request that Riku was more than happy to fulfil.</p><p>He opened his mouth eagerly for Sora to deepen the kiss, a mix of cabbage and beans, berries and <em>Sora</em> — and in a move that was so hot that Riku’s stomach coiled tightly in excitement, Sora curled his tongue to take the berries right out of Riku’s mouth into his own.</p><p>Sora pulled away, chewing and smirking in a way that had Riku’s cheeks heat up further and his eyes widen.</p><p>The dragon’s voice filled their minds again, amused and a little confused.</p><p>
  <em>Are all humans like this?</em>
</p><p>Riku flushed, and Sora tilted his head, speaking up around a full mouth. “What do you mean?”</p><p><em>It’s been a long time since I met humans. And never two at the same time. Only sorcerers and lone travellers who came to find me</em>.</p><p>“How are we different?” Riku asked, accepting more berries from Sora’s extended palm.</p><p>
  <em>You have many feelings. They are very loud.</em>
</p><p>“Oh,” Riku said, for lack of a better response.</p><p><em>It’s good, though. Your feelings make me...happy. They’re louder even than magic. They give me hope, especially now that we dragons can feel the balance of magic shifting</em>.</p><p>“Feelings? You mean love?” Sora asked, and Riku shot him a surprised glance.</p><p>
  <em>Love?</em>
</p><p>“Is that what you’re feeling?”</p><p><em>I don’t know…love</em>.</p><p>Sora popped the last of the berries in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, leaning more heavily against Riku’s shoulder. “When you’re with someone whom you like a lot, and you just want to stay with them forever and have lots of adventures together… When you’re stronger together than apart, and you can do anything when they’re by your side. That’s love.”</p><p><em>It sounds nice</em>.</p><p>“It <em>is</em> nice,” Riku muttered, shifting to make himself and Sora more comfortable against the dragon’s warm and solid weight.</p><p><em>Sleep now. I will keep watch for you</em>.</p><p>Sora nudged at him until he was satisfied by the way Riku’s arm was draped around his shoulder, his head in the curve of Riku’s neck. Sora’s breathing evened out quickly, and — feeling the safest and warmest he’d felt all day — Riku followed suit.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>The next day, they climbed on Darrid’s back after breakfast and took off again, flying high over the forests — the hundreds, thousands of snow-covered treetops, the frozen lakes and the white open spaces and everything seemed fine, <em>great </em>even, because Darrid would take them to the shrine, and they’d just perform the ritual and that would be that. It would be easy for a change.</p><p>But nothing in their lives was ever <em>easy</em>, and Riku should have known this by now.</p><p>After roughly an hour of flying, Sora nudged his side. And then again, this time accompanied by a slightly panicked “<em>Riku</em>.”</p><p>Riku turned around, trying to catch a glimpse of Sora’s face to see what was wrong, and that’s when he saw what Sora had seen moments before: behind them in the air, two Ryu Dragon Nightmares. Still relatively far away, but clearly visible anyway. And on each Ryu Dragon, a figure in a dark brown coat.</p><p>“Oh no,” Riku said slowly.</p><p>“How did they <em>find</em> us?” Sora asked, turning back around to bury his face in the back of Riku’s coat. “We travelled so far yesterday!”</p><p>“Are they <em>working</em> with the Nightmares? What a disaster…” And then, leaning forwards against Darrid’s back, Riku shouted, “Faster, we need to get away from them!”</p><p>Darrid picked up the pace, but he was hindered by his size. The Ryu Dragons were smaller and moved as if <em>they</em> were the ones being chased. Like a repeat of the day before, the thieves — Maeldin and Nim — gained on them little by little, no matter how hard Darrid tried. </p><p><em>Nearly there</em>. <em>Hang on</em>.</p><p>Sora’s arms were like a vice grip around Riku’s waist, and Riku’s hands were fisted so hard in Darrid’s fur that he felt them going numb. They were going so fast that Riku could barely see anything for the tears in his eyes, couldn’t hear over the wind rushing in his ears. He didn’t dare let go to wipe at his eyes, but if he squinted, he could just make it <em>something</em> in the distance, something that wasn’t trees or snow, but a large clearing a mile or so away. And in that clearing, large familiar stone slabs.</p><p><em>Thank god, </em>he thought.</p><p>The next thing he knew, they were descending once again, the blizzard shrine quickly getting closer. Darrid all but crashed into the snow several hundreds of feet in front of the circle of stones, sliding through the snow before coming to a standstill. Over the telepathic dragon connection, Riku could feel his exhaustion, but after he and Sora jumped off his back, Darrid still rose up again in all his majestic power.</p><p>There was no time to talk or to consider a strategy; Nim and Maeldin on their Nightmares were almost upon them. Sora was already standing with his keyblade in hand, a little unsteady on his feet after the rough flight they’d had, but he looked battle-ready regardless. Braveheart surged into Riku’s hand, and he took his place on Sora’s left side.</p><p>“Riku,” Sora hissed. “What do I do with the egg?”</p><p>Riku looked around him, trying to spot a place where they could hide the backpack, but the thieves were already too close. There was no way they had time to properly hide it. They had both done battle with the backpack on before, but this was going to be their toughest fight yet, so maybe it wasn’t the best idea to keep the egg close by… “Put it behind one of the stones of the shrine. At least if we manage to keep them from getting to the shrine, it’ll be safe there.”</p><p>“Okay.” Sora rushed off, and Riku cast a few barrier spells in quick succession, successfully slowing Nim and Maeldin in their final approach.</p><p>Then, as their Ryu Dragons landed on the other side of the clearing, Sora was back at his side, and there was no time for further talking as the battle commenced immediately. Meow Wow and Komory Bat appeared at their sides as a massive wave of Nightmares appeared that Nim seemed to conjure out of thin air. A host of Ryu Dragons, Iceguin Aces, Yoggy Rams, and Kooma Pandas rushed straight at them.</p><p>The one thing that saved Sora and Riku from being hopelessly crushed by the sheer number of Nightmares was the fact that the attack was uncoordinated at best. The Nightmares didn’t care for strategy; they all clamoured around each other to get to Sora and Riku, crushing a few of their own in the process. </p><p>“Let’s do this, Riku!” Sora, ever the optimist, called as he rushed off with Paopu to take the right flank. Riku and Komy took the left.</p><p>And then the Nightmares were upon them, and Riku had to focus all his attention and efforts on hitting combos and guarding. He spun and surged, trusting Komy to have his back as he lay blow after blow at the never-ending flood of Nightmares rushing at him.</p><p>On a hunch, Riku raised his keyblade "Freeze!"</p><p>The Blizzard spell hit the Nightmares head-on, freezing the larger Kooma Pandas in their tracks and completely obliterating the smaller Iceguin Aces.</p><p>So his hunch was right: the provinces affected their magic. Made it stronger.</p><p>And he had an extra boost of darkness to add with his elemental magic. He called upon the darkness inside of him, and interwove it with his next Blizzaga spell. The bolt of Dark Blizzaga obliterated a Yoggy Ram in one hit.</p><p>“Ha!” he exclaimed as Komory screeched and twirled around his head.</p><p>Darrid fought in the middle of the battlefield, trying to engulf as many Nightmares into his Blizzard-breathing spells as he could. Riku could tell his powers were dwindling and that his spells were not as powerful as they had been yesterday, but even a dragon at half-strength could take out a good number of enemies.</p><p>They fought for what felt like hours. Riku barely had time to look up to oversee the entire battlefield, but when he did, he saw Sora’s navy coat, saw Sora spinning and casting spell after spell, almost engulfed in sparkling blue crystals. This gave him the strength to keep going, too, even when his muscles screamed at him and when his jaw ached from how hard he was clenching his teeth.</p><p>In the distance, Nim and Maeldin had not entered the fray, they appeared to be waiting for the Nightmares to exhaust Sora and Riku, so they could maybe sweep in to take the egg. And, Riku realised, at this rate, their plan might succeed…</p><p>For every Nightmare he slew, two more seemed to take its place. He pushed down the feelings of hopelessness, and instead tried to fight his way towards Sora. Maybe if they joined up their magic attacks, they could attack with double the power, and defeat the Nightmares faster…</p><p>Sora called out for him when he was close enough, and the panicked note in his voice distracted Riku enough for a Kooma Panda to smack into him. Luckily, Komy was paying better attention and sent a sonic wave in the Panda’s direction that confused it for a moment.</p><p>“Sora!”</p><p>“Riku!”</p><p>They came together to stand back to back, their keyblades raised towards the Nightmares surrounding them. When Riku looked up for a moment, he saw the thieves had called on their own weapons and were now advancing into the battlefield, too.</p><p>“I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up,” Sora said, panting.</p><p>Riku felt the same, but he couldn’t tell Sora that, he had to be strong for both of them now. And, he had a plan… He tugged on their link, trying to get a feel for how much magic power Sora had left in him. He felt Sora’s side of the link react, flickering wildly, distressed, but still strong enough.</p><p>“I’ve got an idea,” Riku said, blocking the charge of a Yoggy Ram with his keyblade. “We should sync up our Blizzard magic. Together with Darrid, we might be able to get most of them with the last of our magic.”</p><p>“How?” Sora gasped, charging to strike at an Iceguin Ace before returning to his place against Riku’s back.</p><p>“Follow my lead.” Riku raised his arm, calling on his Blizzard magic. He tried to recall what he’d done with the Aero magic at the last shrine, picturing the flow of magic that had come out so easily. The way he had almost subconsciously pulled Sora’s magic through the Dream Eater link.</p><p>It worked. The Blizzard spell inside him grew and grew, and he closed his eyes to focus better. He had to trust in himself now, trust in Sora, trust that this would work. Behind him, he heard Sora gasp and cry out as the magic was drawn out of him, and he felt the power surging through the link, into him.</p><p>Sora took his left hand, and when finally Riku felt the spell reaching its apex, he threw out his right arm in one fluid movement, raising Braveheart to the skies. A Blizzard spell so powerful he felt it rip through his entire being shot out of his keyblade, whirling away most of the Nightmares all around them. Combined with another blast of Darrid’s icy breath, the snowstorm blasted all over the battlefield.</p><p>Sora grabbed his hand so tightly it <em>hurt</em>, but Riku kept up the spell, letting all his magic out and wiping out all the Nightmares in a surge of phenomenal power that surprised even him.</p><p>Then, after the last Nightmare disappeared, the blizzard whisked into the direction of the shrine. Riku dropped to his knees as he felt the last of the Blizzard magic leaving him, and Sora was there at his side, Sora’s arms around his shoulders the only thing that kept him from collapsing into the snow completely.</p><p>They watched with racing hearts and bated breath as the backpack with the egg was caught in the blizzard, surged into the air as it had at the other shrines. Riku used the last of his strengths to send a little prayer to whoever would listen to <em>please let the egg be safe, please, please</em>…</p><p>And then, as the blizzard imploded, shattering into millions of little frozen snowflakes in the air around them, the backpack landed into the snow several feet from them.</p><p>Komy and Meow Wow rushed over to it, as Riku lifted his head to see Nim and Maeldin approaching. He leaned heavily into Sora’s side, trying to find the energy to speak, but it took everything he had just to <em>breathe</em> right now around the emptiness in his chest. There was a deep ache left inside where his Blizzard magic had been.</p><p>To their left, Darrid looked just as exhausted as Riku felt, but still, the dragon made its way towards them, situating himself between the egg and the thieves.</p><p>Next to him, Sora spoke up, shouting. “Give up already. You can’t win. We defeated all your stupid Nightmares.”</p><p>Nim smirked at them, crossing her arms. Still, for all the outward confidence, Riku could see a flicker of hesitance — fear? — on her face. “That spell left you weak and vulnerable. The dragon is drained, too. You’re the ones who should surrender.”</p><p>In response, Darrid exhaled a Blizzard spell that — while too weak to freeze Nim and Maeldin, still covered them in a thin layer of ice. They shook themselves out of it.</p><p>“You’re sorcerers, right?” Sora said harshly. “Why are you so <em>stupid</em>? I thought sorcerers learned to do <em>good</em> things for this world, like Merlin!”</p><p>Nim froze. By her side, Maeldin’s mouth fell open and he took a step back.</p><p>For long moments, nothing happened. Then, carefully, Nim uncrossed her arms. Riku was afraid she would pull out her daggers again, and this time, he had no means to protect himself or Sora anymore. But she didn’t.</p><p>“You know Merlin?” Her voice was uncertain, not at all like it had been before.</p><p>Riku blinked, but when he opened his mouth to reply, he found he had no words. </p><p>“Yeah,” Sora said, and Riku felt some of Sora’s tension leave him as the immediate threat seemed to have passed. “He lives in Kiniro, and he is the one who sent us on this quest. He told us all about what we needed to do. There’s a curse in this world, affecting the magic, and the only way to lift it is to let the egg hatch. That’s why you can’t have it. We’re trying to <em>save</em> your world, including both of you! So you should be <em>thanking</em> us instead of trying to <em>kill</em> us!”</p><p>Maeldin stepped forward again, but all anger seemed to have left him. “Merlin lives in Kiniro?”</p><p>“You know Merlin, too?” Riku managed, his voice raspy and weak.</p><p>Nim averted her gaze as Maeldin’s face went softer than Riku had thought possible. When he spoke, his voice wavered. “I used to know him. He was my— Never mind. Yes, I know Merlin. We both do.”</p><p>“Merlin wouldn’t want you to thwart us,” Sora shook his head. “Please, let us go.”</p><p>Nim raised her gaze again, and Riku was surprised to see emotions flicker across her face — pain, anger, regret. Just a moment ago, she had seemed like a cold-blooded killer. Now, her entire demeanour had changed. “How is… How is Merlin doing?”</p><p>Riku groped for words, his brain not yet caught up with this sudden shift in the situation. From the corner of his eye, he saw Komy picking up the backpack and flying over to drop it into Riku’s lap. Gratefully, he wrapped his arms around it, feeling the warmth of the egg — safe and sound — through the fabric of the pack.</p><p>“He’s okay,” Sora said. “Busy trying to help the King and Queen and the curse on the castle.”</p><p>“I see… Of course he would.” There was a wistfulness to Nim’s voice that Riku couldn’t place. “Well, in that case, maybe we should…” </p><p>She turned to Maeldin. He nodded.</p><p>“There has been a shift in the magic, I have been able to feel it as well. I didn’t know it was linked to the curse.” He exhaled loudly, lifting his gaze to the grey skies. “Very well. We will leave you. If Merlin thinks you are the key to bringing balance to the magic, then… Well, some things are more important than money.”</p><p>“This is not a victory for you, though!” Nim said, suddenly harsh again. “Just consider it…an act of mercy.”</p><p>Riku snorted, too surprised and tired to come up with a snarky retort. “Sure.”</p><p>“Okay,” Sora said, his voice a mix of amusement and resignation.</p><p>Without another word, Nim and Maeldin turned around and began making their way back across the snowfield, in the direction they had come from.</p><p>Riku let out a deep breath, curling closer around the egg. He felt worse than last time, barely recovered from losing his Aero magic, and now once again completely and utterly drained. Sora must be feeling much the same way, but still he stood, before reaching back to pull Riku up by his shoulders. Riku collapsed into his embrace, the egg caught between them as they clung to each other in relief and exhaustion.</p><p>“Cure,” Sora said softly, barely audible, and Riku felt the familiar warm flow of a healing space rush through him, tingle over his skin. It left him able to breathe a little deeper.</p><p>As he breathed, Darrid let out a deep rumbling sound once more, a burst of laughter that lightened the entire mood around them.</p><p>Sora pulled back minutely from their hug to slide his gloved hands into Riku’s hair, touching their foreheads together. He smiled at Riku, fond and proud.</p><p>“Well.” Riku tried for a smile back. “Three down, three to go, right?”</p><p>Sora nodded. “Three down, three to go.”</p><p>Darrid rumbled with relieved laughter again. <em>I think I am beginning to understand this…love thing</em>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you like where it's going! If you do, please leave me a kudos or comment!! I will love you forever!</p><p>Update: Faux <a href="https://twitter.com/TheFauxsynder/status/1255701193566945285?s=20">drew one of my favourite scenes of this fic</a>... Please check it out and give her some love!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Thunder</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Had to bump the tag from "light angst" to "angst" for this chapter :))))</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Without even being asked, Darrid stayed with them during the night after Nim and Maeldin left, providing much-welcome shelter from the snow and the winds, his fleecy warm skin almost as comforting to Sora as Riku's weight against him. Too tired to cook and barely recovered from losing their Blizzard magic, they just shared some bread, nuts and dried fruit, before curling up to sleep. The egg remained tucked safely between them — warmer yet again now that it was infused also with Blizzard magic. Every spell they cast on it had made the egg warmer, had made it thrum a little stronger.</p><p>The next morning, before Sora could even ask, Darrid offered to take them to the border with Volta — the Thunder province — an offer they gratefully accepted. The flight was more comfortable now that they had gotten a little used to their positions on his back. Of course, it also helped that they weren't being chased this time. That meant Sora could just bask in how nice it was to be pressed close to Riku, arms around his waist, cheek pressed against Riku's upper back. Riku's coat was soft against his skin, and with Riku shielding him from most of the icy winds, he was just…<em>comfy</em>. </p><p>They didn't speak, just watched as the forest below gradually gave way to snow-covered slopes, followed by a valley of scattered villages and a larger town. Then, after several hours of flying, Riku let out a gasp, a sound that snapped Sora out of his daydreams.</p><p>“Sora, look!”</p><p>Sora leaned to the right so he could follow Riku’s pointing hand. He didn’t really see anything out of the ordinary, just more snow and hills, but Riku was clearly excited about something. “What is it?”</p><p>“This is the section from the Symphony of Sorcery where I was before! I made my way through these snowy hills towards the Sound Idea. It was up there, on the top of that mountain!”</p><p>“Ooohhh,” Sora answered over the sound of the wind, leaning down further for a better look, keeping a tight grip on Riku’s coat.</p><p>“But immediately afterwards, I fell down towards a fiery mountain and had to fight Chernabog, some sort of demon. Oh, and I met young Xehanort, too.”</p><p>“What?” Sora said, righting himself again so he could frown at the back of Riku's head. “You never told me that!”</p><p>“Everything went…pretty fast after that. We didn't get a chance to really talk again.”</p><p>“That's true,” Sora muttered, tightening his arms around Riku’s waist.</p><p>“He told me I had become immune to Darkness. Which I suppose is why I can use the Darkness in my fighting moves now, without being overcome by it anymore.”</p><p>“I think it's ‘cause you're really strong, Riku.”</p><p>He felt Riku's subdued laugh in response, the rippling of his stomach, and Sora shivered for other reasons than the cold.</p><p>They sat in comfortable silence while the rest of the Blizzard province rushed by underneath them until Darrid started his descent. In the distance, Sora could clearly spot the border, a distinct line where the white snow melted and gave way to golden sand. The snowdrifts were traded out for sand dunes, and the sky turned to an uncanny orange color. He startled when he saw lightning flash in the distance, followed by the drawn-out rumble of thunder.</p><p>Gracefully, Darrid landed right at the border before bending his neck to let Sora and Riku slide off his back. Despite having had Riku as his windshield, Sora was cold now — colder than he'd been in ages, and he looked at the desert on the other side of the border with something close to longing. Riku chuckled.</p><p><em>Here is where I must leave you</em>. <em>We dragons rarely leave our home province</em>.</p><p>“That's okay,” Riku said. “You've done a lot for us. Thank you for everything.”</p><p><em>Good luck, humans</em>.</p><p>Sora, too impatient to wait, took a few paces during Riku and Darrid's conversation until he could step from the snow into the sand. As soon as his body moved across the invisible border, scorching heat overwhelmed him, and he stared in awe at the sand beneath his boots.</p><p>“Riku! It’s so warm here!”</p><p>Sora jumped back across the border from Volta to Frigis, landing with both feet in the snow, and immediately the cold enveloped him fully again.</p><p>“Wow!”</p><p>He jumped back and forth a few times — snow to sand — marvelling at the abrupt climate change each time. He couldn't help his cheerful laughter. The next time he jumped back into Frigis, Riku was there to take his hand, to prevent him from jumping back into the desert again.</p><p>“Come on, you dweeb,” Riku said fondly.</p><p>Sora beamed at him. Then, his gaze shifted back towards the dragon who had helped them so much over the past days. “Bye, Darrid! I hope we'll see you again!”</p><p><em>Goodbye, Sora. Goodbye, Riku</em>.</p><p>With a final wave towards Darrid, Riku tugged him along, and they passed over into the Thunder province, this time together. The heat was like a wall once more, completely overwhelming after having spent so long on cold terrain. Sora dropped Riku's hand so he could take off his coat, and as he did, he felt the warm leggings around his thighs morph into lighter cotton, the way they had been when they first arrived in Symphony of Sorcery. The same kind of magic happened to his boots, the wool lining disappearing in front of his eyes.</p><p>The coat was last to disappear, fading away from Sora's arms into nothingness, reminding Sora of the way his keyblade would dissipate after a battle. He stared at the empty space on his arm for a moment before shrugging. Weirder things had happened to him, for sure.</p><p>“Whoa,” Riku said next to him. “How's it doing that?”</p><p>“Maybe it's Fairy Godmother's magic?”</p><p>“Or your world magic?”</p><p>Sora shrugged and smiled. “Whatever it is, I like it. Can you imagine us having to haul around winter coats in a <em>desert</em>?” He looked up at the thunder flashing across the orange sky. “Well, it's not really like home, but at least feeling the sand underneath my feet is familiar!”</p><p>Next to him, Riku stretched, arms above his head. He was probably still stiff from their extended dragon ride. “I don't think I'll ever get used to snow.”</p><p>Sora couldn't help but agree. He supposed both of them would always be island boys at heart.</p><p>“Hey Sora,” Riku said, grinning at him. “Do that thing where you find us the map. Or maybe a Moogle. I'm starving, and I could really use some food.”</p><p>Sora cocked his hip and crossed his arms. “I can't just <em>do that thing</em>, Riku, it takes patience and expertise, it's a special skill that I—”</p><p>Sora's eyes landed on a dune behind which a red fluffy ball appeared and then disappeared again.</p><p>“Sora?”</p><p>“Oh,” Sora said with a little shrug. He’d forgotten it really usually was just <em>this</em> easy. “Never mind!”</p><p>He rushed off in the direction of the dune, kicking sand all around them, knowing Riku would only be a few feet behind. When he had stumbled his way up the sandy hill — two steps up and sliding one step back the whole way — he squinted down the other side into more sand that was so brightly white-yellow that it hurt his eyes. But then, slowly he could begin to make out the contours of a Moogle and, a little way beyond, a massive golden treasure chest, inlaid with rubies.</p><p>He turned back to see Riku struggle up the final steps and wasn't sure whether to gloat because he found the Moogle and the chest, or stick his lip out because Riku had been <em>right</em>. In the end, he settled for a bright grin, throwing his hands behind his head.</p><p>“Found it!”</p><p>Riku was out of breath by the time he made it to the top, resting his hands on his knees for a few moments before he straightened and looked over Sora’s shoulder into the pit below. Slowly, the side of his mouth turned up into a half-smirk. “See? I was right.”</p><p>“Hmph,” Sora said, bumping into Riku's shoulder hard enough to make him lose his balance and almost topple over into the sand. “Guess you can be right every once in a while, too. Like, once a day, maybe.”</p><p>“Yeah yeah,” Riku said, nudging Sora towards the edge of the sand dune until they both slid off — half-standing, half-seated on the warm, rough sand. </p><p>Riku went to open the treasure chest while Sora counted out the right amount of munny to restock their potions and ethers. This Moogle sold first aid kits, and Sora decided he might as well pick up a few of those, too. <em>We can never be too prepared, Sora</em>, he heard Riku say in his mind. Finally, he also bought half a dozen Crêpes Suzette so Riku would stop complaining about being hungry — Sora was hungry as well, but he was <em>always</em> hungry these days, so his feelings weren't a good measure.</p><p>With a crêpe in each hand and the map unfolded into the sand between them, they studied the unfamiliar terrain of this province. Riku wasn't even complaining about the syrup that dropped from Sora's one crêpe onto the paper below, which was probably a testament to how hungry he'd been. Still, Sora tried to be considerate and twisted a little so the syrup fell into the sand instead.</p><p>“Okay,” Riku started, his fingers tracing over the mostly empty land. “There seems to be a city here, Raimei. Maybe it's the capital? The shrine isn't marked on this map, though, the person who made it probably didn't know its location. Or didn't want to reveal it to just anyone.”</p><p>“Who <em>makes</em> these maps anyway?” Sora asked with his mouth full.</p><p>“The Moogles, maybe?” Riku replied absentmindedly, eyes flicking over the map to take in all he could.</p><p>Sora fit the remaining part of his last crêpe into his mouth, kicking a little against Riku's ankle as he chewed. It was kinda hard to chew with so much food into his mouth. Maybe he should not've shoved half of it in at once. Well, too late now. He kept chewing, and he kept kicking gently until Riku finally looked up.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Sora grinned, fighting to swallow the food in his mouth, coughing a little when he was done. “Nothing, I just wanted you to look at me.”</p><p>Riku rolled his eyes, but his face went soft and a little pink, and Sora was happy to see he wasn't able to hold back his smile. He really liked it when Riku smiled at him. Unable to help himself, he leaned forward, placing his syrup-hands flat against the hot sand and crossing the distance between them to slot his lips easily against Riku’s.</p><p>Riku's lips were warm and— as always — really, really nice. A little chapped from this morning's dry wind and cold, but that didn't matter. A little sticky, too, but that didn't matter either. Sora could run his tongue over Riku's bottom lip to taste the syrup, licking off the stickiness to the sound of Riku's little gaspy moan. Next, he pulled Riku's lip into his mouth gently, worrying it, then gasping in surprise when Riku's hands came up to pull him closer — over the map and into Riku's lap.</p><p>His own hands now free, Sora was able to push them into Riku's hair, where he deftly slid the hair tie off of Riku's ponytail and onto his wrist, making Riku's hair flow freely over his shoulders. Now, Sora could run his fingers through Riku's silky hair and keep him in place as he tilted his head to press them closer. Riku's hands were on his sides, steadying him, and Sora couldn't hold back the little whine at the back of his throat. Their tongues brushed, sending a spark through his stomach far more powerful than the heat around them.</p><p>The kiss was everything; reassurance, relief, and Sora's ever-there desire to have Riku <em>close</em>. Kissing was always one of the best ways to ensure all of Riku's attention was on <em>him</em>.</p><p>Almost completely lost in Riku, inwardly a tiny part of him wondered if they <em>really</em> needed to move today, they could just make camp somewhere around here. Surely the shrine could wait another day? Consequently, with ninety percent of his attention on Riku and the remaining ten percent considering the pros and cons of just continuing to kiss Riku for the rest of the day, he missed the first cough.</p><p>The second cough was louder, and Sora frowned as he stopped kissing Riku long enough to lean back just a little, letting Riku hold him up by the waist. When he raised his gaze, still breathing hard, he jumped a little at the sight that met him. His face slipped into a flustered grin.</p><p>“Uhm…” Sora said, fighting the urge to bury his face into Riku's neck.</p><p>At seeing the look on Sora's face, Riku whipped his entire upper body around, letting Sora slide off his lap into the sand.</p><p>“If you two are not too busy, I would very much like to talk to you.”</p><p>In front of them, at the bottom of one of the dunes, stood Master Yen Sid. Or, well, <em>a </em>Master Yen Sid. Sora wasn't sure which one it was, the man always seemed to look at the same no matter what, and Sora secretly had the idea that he'd never been a child, he'd just come into existence as an old sorcerer with a beard.</p><p>“Oh,” Riku said, his mouth opening and closing in a way that would've been really funny in any other situation. <em>Hmm actually</em>, Sora thought to himself, looking at Riku scramble to his feet and stand up straight. It was still pretty funny.</p><p>“I have felt your presence in this world for a while now, but I had research to finish before I could find you. I came here as soon as I had some answers.”</p><p>“Came…here?” Sora said slowly, also getting to his feet to stand next to Riku.</p><p>“My name is Yen Sid. I am the Keyblade Master who oversees a tower in a world connected to this one. As such, I keep watch over this world, making sure the magic within remains strong and good.”</p><p>“Ooohhhh,” Sora piped up. The words made him realise this was this world’s Master Yen Sid. Just like how the Merlin they'd met was this world's Merlin. “That's pretty cool. But if you're here, where's the K—” Riku clamped a hand over Sora's mouth with lightning-quick reflexes.</p><p>“Sora!” he hissed into Sora's ear, and Sora had the decency to look a little sheepish.</p><p>“Oh, right.” World order. He didn't know how it was so hard for him to remember that. He was always just so enthusiastic that those rules sort of…left his brain sometimes for a moment. Good thing he had Riku now.</p><p>He licked Riku's hand so Riku would let him go, grimacing a little at the rough feel of sand against his tongue, but it worked, and Riku dropped his hand to turn back to Master Yen Sid.</p><p>“We're not busy,” he said seriously, standing a little stiffly.</p><p>“Well, we were a little busy,” Sora added, trying not to pout. “But it's okay, we can make time. My name's Sora. And this is Riku. He's my boyfriend.”</p><p>Sora wondered if he would ever get used to saying these 3 words. He loved how warm they made him feel, and he especially loved how Riku would blush a little and lower his gaze. It paid off to be so much shorter than Riku during those times because he would still be able to catch the hint of a smile on Riku's lips, even now, with Riku's hair loose and long.</p><p>“Yes,” Master Yen Sid replied. “I could…see that.”</p><p>Riku blushed bright red, but Sora just beamed.</p><p>“Now, if you will follow me?”</p><p>“Oh, right, of course,” Riku said, turning around to gather the map and the backpack, slipping it onto his back. When he turned back, he offered his hand for Sora to hold as they set off.</p><p>Master Yen Sid kept a brisk pace as they crossed countless sand dunes and a landscape filled with cactuses, rocks and desert lizards. Sora guessed they'd been walking for an hour or two when they came upon an oasis; a small lagoon surrounded by dozens of palm trees and small white houses with flat orange roofs. Sora thought it looked like something straight out of a vacation magazine, one of those Naminé liked to read for drawing inspiration. </p><p>After all that sand, it was a welcome sight — beautiful despite the perpetual orange sky and the lightning that kept flashing in the distance. </p><p>Master Yen Sid led them into one of the larger buildings, which looked to be some sort of school. From the main hallway, Sora could see through the large glass windows into a room towards their right. There were a dozen or so children — boys and girls of various ages that looked up with wide eyes and open mouths as they walked past. In front of the class’ blackboard stood a woman with long blonde hair and an ivory dress. She had a diamond wand in her hand and had clearly been teaching the children in the classroom some sort of spell.</p><p>She looked up too as she noticed her students’ attention lost. When they reached the open door to the classroom, she bowed her head to Yen Sid, a gesture which Yen Sid returned calmly. Then, the woman made her way over to the doorframe.</p><p>“Is something wrong, Master Yen Sid?”</p><p>“Not at all, Glinda, not to worry. I just need someplace quiet to sit and talk to these lads.” He gestured towards Sora and Riku.</p><p>“We've been feeling…ripples, in the magic,” she whispered, keeping her voice down for the sake of the children. She looked from Yen Sid to Sora and Riku and back again.</p><p>Yen Sid inhaled deeply, then slowly let out his breath. “You felt right. But not to worry, Sora and Riku here will help us set things right.”</p><p>Glinda shot Sora and Riku a radiant smile. “Oh really? You will? Thank you so much.”</p><p>Sora smiled back. When he felt Riku tense up by his side, he squeezed their joined hands in reassurance until Riku deflated a little.</p><p>“We’ll try our best,” Riku said.</p><p>“Now, Glinda. May we use your study room?”</p><p>“Of course! You know the way, don’t you?”</p><p>Yen Sid nodded and turned to make his way further down the hallway. When he came to the last door, he opened it to reveal a beautifully decorated study room. The left wall had a set of book-shelves, stacked with so many books that they bent a little in the middle. Against the right wall stood a large desk with a comfortable-looking wooden desk chair with red upholstery, with to the left of it a plush red sofa.</p><p>Looking out of the large arch-shaped windows, Sora could see a garden full of palm trees and exotic plants, and beyond that, the desert. The room was magically cool — a sharp contrast with the dry desert heat they had just left behind — and when Sora looked up, he saw frozen ice crystals hanging from the ceiling.</p><p>“Ohhhh,” he said. “That's a cool trick. Riku, we should—” he bit his tongue, suddenly remembering that they weren't able to do Blizzard magic anymore. They'd never be able to try making ice crystals hanging from their bedroom ceiling on hot summer days… He cast his gaze to the sandy-coloured tiles on the floor, swallowing thickly against the hot rush of disappointment that threatened up his throat. What a stupid thing to be upset about, in light of everything…</p><p>Despite Sora trying to push down his feelings, Riku felt them — of course he did. He stepped in front of Sora and brought both hands to the sides of Sora's face, warm thumbs pressing against his temples. “Hey.”</p><p>Sora looked up to Riku's aqua eyes filled with worry. He swallowed again, and again, until his throat burned with the effort. “I'm okay.”</p><p>Riku eyed him doubtfully, and if Yen Sid hadn't been there, Sora knew he would've tried to argue that statement. As it were, he bit his lip, nodding as he brushed away the bangs across Sora's forehead. A useless gesture because they sprang right back, but Sora appreciated it all the same. Something unravelled within him. </p><p>Who needed stupid ice crystal on a ceiling when he could have <em>this</em>.</p><p>Still, he looked up again, a little wistfully, tracing the glistening see-through crystals with his eyes. They were so pretty… He was broken out of his reveries when Master Yen Sid cleared his throat. He had taken the desk chair and gestured for them to sit down as well. Riku sat down on the left side of the sofa, Sora to his right, and they made themselves comfortable against the velvet cushions. Riku handed him the backpack, which Sora tugged against his right side.</p><p>“Now, Sora, Riku,” Master Yen Sid started. “What have you learned about the Symphony of Sorcery so far?”</p><p>Riku started talking, narrating their journey so far, from the moment they had followed one of the dragons to this world. How they came across a mythical omni dragon egg, and how they had started to make their way across the various provinces. Sora yawned when Riku got to the part about where Merlin had filled them in on a lot of things — how the dragons were magical, how the magical shrines worked to hatch dragon eggs. He yawned again, not because Riku's story was boring, but because all of the excitement of the past few days suddenly seemed to crash over him at once.</p><p>Riku didn't skip a beat, didn't even comment, just wrapped his arm around Sora's shoulders to draw him closer. Sora complied, resting his head on Riku's shoulder. He closed his eyes — only for a second, to gather himself.</p><p>He woke up to Riku gently nudging him. Sora blinked his eyes open, wondering for a moment why he felt so groggy and where the dancing flamingos had gone that he'd just been admiring. The one with the yoyo had been particularly funny.</p><p>“Sora,” Riku said softly, and Sora turned his head to look at him. “I'm sorry to wake you, but you'll wanna hear this.”</p><p>Sora opened his eyes further, his gaze drifting over to where Yen Sid was leaning back in his chair, elbows resting on the armrests, fingers tipped together.</p><p>“As I was telling Riku, I live in a Tower off-world, but the Symphony of Sorcery is under my protection. I try not to meddle with it if I can help it, but now it seems there is no other way. King Rodarch and Queen Ganieda have always ruled this world with wisdom and strength, respecting its magic and the dragons. Their heir, Prince Da, takes after them in a lot of ways. But something has happened that made me unable to feel their power anymore. And the magic in this world — which has always kept me tethered here — is dwindling day by day. It worries me greatly”</p><p>“Merlin told us that the castle in Fantasia has been put under a spell and the King and Queen with it. And that that curse is slowly spreading across the entire land. He said that hatching the dragon egg would be the way to lift the curse.”</p><p>“Merlin is very wise. I consider him to be the most powerful wizard in the Symphony of Sorcery — but don’t tell him I said that. His sister, Queen Ganieda, has magical powers too, although she never chose to pursue an education in them.”</p><p>“Merlin's sister is the <em>Queen</em>? He never mentioned that!” Riku exclaimed, and Sora sat up straighter at this revelation, shaking his head a little to banish the last remnants of sleep.</p><p>“He does not like to talk about it. It drove a rift in their family. He has a second sister, too, who did not possess the same kind of magic as Ganieda and Merlin. She took…a different path.”</p><p>“Merlin has two sisters?” Sora asked. He felt like he was on a two-second delay to the conversation. Then again, he felt like that a lot when Master Yen Sid was talking.</p><p>“He does.”</p><p>"What happened?" Riku asked.</p><p>"I'm afraid… That's not for me to say. I'm sorry."</p><p>“Of course,” Riku said, bowing his head. Then, after a pause, he looked up again. “You said, pursuing an education in magic… We're in a school of magic, aren't we?”</p><p>Master Yen Sid nodded. “We are. Not all the children you saw in there will complete their studies and become full-fledged wizards or witches. But, as you might have heard by now, all the magic in all the worlds comes from the Symphony of Sorcery. Every wizard or witch is trained here. I know you two possess magic as well, though I have never felt your presence here before.”</p><p>“It's…” Riku fell silent for a moment. “A long story.”</p><p>“I learned my magic from Merlin!” Sora said, happy to be able to contribute something to the conversation. “Er, well a <em>different</em> version of Merlin, but he taught me how to use it. And then, the last time we were here, our magic got upgraded to <em>grand magic</em>.”</p><p>“Grand magic?” Master Yen Sid's mouth fell open in a rare display of surprise. “So you <em>have</em> been here before?”</p><p>“Yeah, we were sent here by…” Sora paused and swallowed when Riku shot him a look. “Someone. To acquire the power of waking.”</p><p>“The <em>power</em> of <em>waking</em>?” Yen Sid blinked slowly. “You possess…the mythical power of <em>waking</em>? Is that how you managed to find your way here?”</p><p>“Like I said,” Riku sighed softly. “It's a long story.”</p><p>“Sadly, we do not have that kind of time. I have come to share with you what I have learned. I understand Merlin has already told you about the existence of the magical shrines.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Sora said. “We’ve been to three out of six already. For the egg.”</p><p>“The shrines were built by wizards and witches of the old days. They wanted to pay tribute to the dragons, who had shared their magical powers with them. Through the shrines, all newborn dragons would be born with magic. For this gift, the dragons taught the wizards and witches how to perform grand magic.”</p><p>Sora shifted again, his left hand finding Riku's where it was resting against the sofa.</p><p>“But now, all of this world is in danger. There are only two omni dragons in existence at the moment. As long as they sleep, the curse will continue to spread. Merlin was right about that. It is absolutely vital that you succeed in your mission. If the egg doesn't hatch and the curse isn't broken, magic will disappear from this world altogether, and then from all the worlds. And I don't need to tell you how disastrous that would be.”</p><p>Sora nodded seriously, once again reminded of the gravity of the quest. He wrapped his right arm around the backpack and the egg.</p><p>“We won’t fail,” Riku said, his voice unwavering. Master-like. Sora felt a wave of pride.</p><p>“I received reports from the Cure province that one of their dragons is missing. I suggest you visit the thunder shrine first if you still need its power for the egg, but after that, please go and explore the cure province. I believe the disappearance of that dragon holds a vital clue.”</p><p>“We haven’t been to the thunder shrine yet, no,” Sora said. “It wasn’t on our map.”</p><p>Master Yen Sid nodded. “I will mark your map for you. The thunder shrine is in a cave, about a day's walk from here.”</p><p>Sora took the map from the backpack and handed it over. As Yen Sid marked the map, Riku was silent for a long moment before speaking up again. “Master Yen Sid, we had planned to visit the cure shrine last. Whenever we perform a ritual, we give up the magic of that element. We've come to rely on Cure magic so much, it will be hard to have to give it up…”</p><p>“I had suspected as much. The shrines were not built with humans in mind. Not even humans with magical powers.” Master Yen Sid's voice was low and gravely, and Sora tightened his fingers on Riku's hand, looking away from Riku to the sorcerer. His face was surprisingly gentle. “I would not ask this of you if it was not important.”</p><p>“I know,” Riku said softly, turning his head to study Sora's face. “I was just hoping… But—”</p><p>“It's okay, Riku,” Sora said, bringing their joint hands towards his chest. “We'll just need to buy a few more potions. And I bought us first aid kits from the Moogle this morning! We'll be fine.”</p><p>Riku smiled his soft smile and nodded. “You're right.” Then, he turned back to Master Yen Sid. “May I ask you something?”</p><p>Yen Sid nodded. “You may.”</p><p>“I've been wondering… Sora and I have given up some of our magic so far. But I — and I’m sure you must have sensed this… But I have Dark magic within me. And I was wondering…” Riku trailed off.</p><p>“Ah, yes,” Yen Sid said. “I did sense it. But I also feel you have controlled it. It seems you have…trapped it somewhere within your light. It's there, but it can't be used for evil anymore. I am…intrigued. I have never seen this before. How did you do it?”</p><p>Riku looked down at where their joined hands were resting against the sofa's velvet cushions, and Sora saw him smile through the strands that fell forward across his face. Sora took his other hand off the backpack to slide into Riku's hair. Riku's smile widened, and his eyes were surprisingly bright.</p><p>“I found my light,” Riku said. “That's all.”</p><p>“I see,” Master Yen Sid replied. “And now you're wondering if you'll lose your darkness as a result of the shrines’ trials as well.”</p><p>Riku nodded.</p><p>“There is darkness inside us all, Riku. But darkness is different from Dark <em>magic</em>, which is a special kind of magic. Its power comes from the Realm of Darkness. I did not even know it could be used for good — for the light — as well. What kind of Dark magic do you use?”</p><p>“Dark Firaga, mostly. I recently taught myself to use Dark Blizzaga, too, but that was before we lost our Blizzard magic. I can do attacks like Dark Aura and Dark Splicer, too, but I guess… I guess those are more like regular attacks, and not much like magic attacks.”</p><p>“Hmmm,” Master Yen Sid tapped his fingers together in thought. “I agree. I think you've already lost your Dark Blizzaga now, and you will lose your Dark Firaga magic if you succeed in the fire trial because your Dark magic is entwined with your regular Fire magic. But that is only an educated guess. As for your other dark attacks, they do not appear to be magic commands. So you might be able to use them afterwards.”</p><p>Riku nodded.</p><p>“I'm sure it has been a long day for you.”</p><p>“It's been a long two <em>weeks</em>,” Sora blurted out. “It feels like we've been here forever…”</p><p>“I will ask Hilda if you can use the guest room here tonight. Sadly, I must leave and do my rounds to visit all the wizards and witches, to make sure they are all prepared when the time comes. I’m sorry I am not able to do more for you, but you have completed half the trials already. I have faith in you. And hopefully, I will see you at the castle at the end of all this. With the baby omni dragon to lift the curse.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Riku said, while Sora leaned back against the back of the sofa. It was going to be a long journey yet until they could hatch the egg… </p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Sora was thankful for a cool shower to wash off all the sand, and then a dinner he did not have to cook himself — a lukewarm couscous salad with dates and dried tomatoes. They ate in a cramped dining room with the children from the school of sorcery, who — after stealing shy glances at them for a while until one of them gathered the courage to speak up — wanted to know all about who they were and why they were here. Luckily, Riku did most of the talking, patiently answering question after question until Sora fell sideways into him, fighting to stay awake.</p><p>“Come on,” Riku said, tugging him up and towards the stairs after he bid the children goodnight. “Let's get some rest.”</p><p>The guest room had the same ice crystals on the ceiling as the study room, making it the perfect temperature to sleep in. When Sora looked up, he felt that same jolt of disappointment — <em>emptiness</em> — in his stomach as earlier. Riku didn't mention it; he just slipped under the covers and into Sora's waiting arms.</p><p>Often, Sora liked it best when Riku hugged him from behind in bed, spooning him until they synchronised their breaths and fell asleep like that, but now he needed to feel Riku’s heartbeat, so he pushed at Riku until he was on his back and Sora could rest his head on his chest. Riku’s hand came up to gently comb through his hair, just the way Sora preferred, and Sora slid his free arm over Riku's chest to clutch at his elbow.</p><p>Riku's heartbeat was strong and steady, and Sora felt his anxiety slowly evaporating with every beat. Despite his exhaustion, he struggled to stay awake for as long as possible, trying to commit the rhythm to memory.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>The next morning after a breakfast of eggs and fresh figs, washed down with a large mug of coffee, they stocked up on potions and food — rice and dried lentils mostly — and set out for the thunder shrine that Master Yen Sid had marked on their map. Based on the distance and how far they could walk in a day, they estimated they would be able to make it there before nightfall. There was one dirt road leading from the village into the seemingly endless steep terrain, which they followed for half a day, before going off-road into the hot sand of the desert again.</p><p>They may have been island boys, but they were not immune to heat, and it wasn't long until Sora's hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and dust. Riku's face was gradually turning red from the sun and the exertion, his hair sticking up in tufts. </p><p>They didn't talk much.</p><p>Sora didn't want to admit it to himself, but the ever-growing emptiness inside of him where his magic had been throbbed like a physical ache in his chest. He could ignore it when he let himself get distracted, but right now there was nothing but miles of sand around them, and the only distraction around here was Riku — and the handful of Nightmare parties that they disposed of with their Dream Eaters as they travelled.</p><p>Riku was quiet, too, and Sora knew it was because Master Yen Sid's visit had shifted something in him. The old sorcerer always had that effect on Riku, Sora had learned. Riku was always quieter, more subdued, more serious when he had been called to the Master's study for one reason or other. Sora didn't like it, but he also didn't know what to do about it, apart from trying to get Riku out of his own head and back to Sora's side.</p><p>But that was hard when he was feeling as anxious as he was now. There were three magical elements they still had to give up. Suddenly, their journey seemed like an enormous task. A sacrifice that Sora didn't want to make anymore.</p><p>He wanted to make ice crystals for their bedroom ceiling, he wanted to douse Riku in Water spells when he was teasing him too much, and he wanted to be able to cast Curaga on his allies when they needed him. He wanted to feel the rush of an Aero spell, he wanted the faint smell of ozone as a Thunder spell crackled through the air. He wanted to light their campfires with Fire magic. It hardly seemed <em>fair</em> that he and Riku had to give up so much to save the worlds once again… Hadn't they done enough?</p><p>But no, he shook himself. He wasn't allowed to think like that. He knew Riku had given up more for Sora — his <em>life</em>, the greatest sacrifice of all — and Sora, too, had done the impossible when he passed through time itself to bring Kairi back. They had saved the world from evil Keyblade Masters almost more times than Sora could count.</p><p>They had sacrificed so much already. What was one more?</p><p>His thoughts were interrupted by their next Nightmare battle. In an attempt to make himself feel better, Sora alternated his keyblade combos with Thundaga spells that came to him easily — they were in the province of thunder, after all — but instead of giving him joy, the way using magic always did, every spell left him hollow and sad. What if this was the last battle he'd be able to use Thunder magic in?</p><p>Or maybe there would be one more? Two?</p><p>Still, he kept using the spells, over and over until his magic powers had run out and he finished off the last Thunderaffe with a final keyblade combo. He'd been gripping his blade so hard that by the time the battle was over, his arms were sore and his calloused hands burned. He was more out of breath than usual. In the distance, the thunder kept flashing.</p><p>Either the Nightmares were getting stronger — or he was getting weaker. He didn't know what was worse.</p><p>Riku came up to him to check on him, his tunic sweat-soaked and face tight, but the moment their eyes met, Riku visibly softened. He reached out to cup Sora's cheeks, and Sora let himself draw comfort from this moment. He wanted to believe — no, he <em>believed</em>, that he could do anything with Riku by his side. </p><p>“I'm okay,” he said, not sure if his voice was hoarse with fatigue or the dry desert air.</p><p>Riku hugged him, then, and at least for a moment, Sora's racing thoughts came to a halt, bringing up his arms to hug Riku back, encircling his waist just below the backpack. They stood for long moments, listening to each other's breathing calm down, Riku almost too hot against him, but Sora didn't care. He clung to the back of Riku's tunic, never wanting to let go again. The sob that went through his body surprised him, and he pressed his face against Riku's chest, breathing deeply to inhale the smell of sweat and sun and sand. In response, Riku held him tighter, and Sora felt him press his face to the top of Sora's head. His hair must be as sweaty and dirty as their clothes, but Riku didn't seem to care.</p><p>“I love you,” Riku said. “I know you're sad, but we can get through this, okay?”</p><p>Sora nodded, inhaling deeply. He didn't care that Riku was sweaty and a little gross. He just cared that he was <em>here</em>.</p><p>“We're nearly at the shrine.”</p><p>As Sora pulled back a little to look at Riku, movement caught his eye, a flesh of yellow and blue towards his right. He froze for a second, breath catching, before he realised what it was. Immediately, Riku followed his gaze, and together they watched the dragon circling the skies above the barren land.</p><p>This dragon was like a snake, long and thin, coiled in circles in the air. The sunlight reflected off her yellow scales, and the underside of her body was bright azure like a cloudless summer sky. Even from a distance, Sora could see how big she was. She had three sets of wings, and her tail was almost as long as her body.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
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  <p>-- Art by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a></p>
</div><p>They didn’t separate as the dragon swooped closer — Sora not able to let Riku go just yet — and before long she was near enough for Sora to make out her eyes, bright aqua and intense as they honed in on him and Riku. He braced himself for what she would say; if she would be distant, like Tyrsat, Sydhipel and Largyrem — or if she would be warmer, kinder, like Darrid had been.</p><p>Part of him didn't know if he'd be able to deal with the former.</p><p>
  <em>My name is Tailu.</em>
</p><p>“I'm Sora,” he said, too tired for more words than were strictly necessary.</p><p>“I'm Riku.”</p><p>
  <em>You are...sad…</em>
</p><p>The words resonated in Sora's brain, the same way the other dragons’ words had sounded in his mind — deeply intimate in a way real speech never was.</p><p>
  <em>I am sorry. You have helped us, I have heard. Now, let me help you.</em>
</p><p>As she spoke, she looked at the backpack</p><p>“Will you take us to the shrine?” Riku asked, dropping his arms from around Sora, but Sora caught his arm before he stepped away, his fingers brushing down the inside of Riku's forearm to wrap around his wrist. </p><p><em>Yes. Follow me</em>.</p><p>She took to the skies again, gracefully spinning, her golden scales almost too bright to look at directly.</p><p>Riku turned to Sora, using his free hand to brush some sand away from his forehead. “Are you okay to keep going?”</p><p>Sora nodded. “Let’s do this.”</p><p>The shrine was within an open cave that they could see looming up in the distance from the top of the next sand dune. It must have been man-made (or wizard-witch-made) at some point, but now it looked just like part of the landscape. Large sand-coloured stones had been put together to create a cave. The closer they got, the more details they could make out. The stones must have been coarse once upon a time, but now sand and desert winds had smoothed them down. The open entrance was clearly visible, tufts of yellow desert grass all around the path leading up to it.</p><p>Sora paused at the foot of the final stretch upwards, making Riku pause with him. It was his turn to do the spell again — in fact, Riku had done the last <em>two</em>, he realised — and suddenly he needed another moment to prepare himself.</p><p>“I can do it,” Riku said, as if he'd read Sora's thoughts. </p><p>It was tempting to say <em>yes, okay, please</em>, but Sora didn't. Instead, he raised his head, trying to recall the determination he had felt just before he had done the Water trial. That had only been last week — yet somehow, it felt like months ago.</p><p>“I'll do it,” Sora said.</p><p>Tailu had been perched on top of the entrance, but now she stretched her wings and soared the distance between them, landing just off the path towards the cave.</p><p><em>You will both need to perform this magic</em>.</p><p>“Both?” Sora asked.</p><p><em>You will see. Follow me</em>.</p><p>She flew back towards the entrance, wiggling a little to get in — the entrance was barely big enough for her. When Sora and Riku made it up there to step in with her, they saw the giant open cavern that was inside. It was dark and after having been amidst the glaring sunlight for the entire day, it took more than just a moment for their eyes to get used to that.</p><p>When they did, Sora noticed what Tailu had meant. This shrine was a little different from the ones they’d seen so far, and instead of just one circle made from stone slaps, this cavern contained two slightly smaller circles. There was a plateau in the centre, on which they would have to place the egg.</p><p>
  <em>The sorcerers of old made us this cavern. It will contain your thunder magic and strengthen the spell.</em>
</p><p>Sora bit his bottom lip, mentally preparing himself for what he knew was to come; more pain, more emptiness, more sadness. </p><p>No, he couldn't think like that. There would be pain, yes. But there was so much more at stake here; a baby dragon to be hatched first, the very existence of magic itself second. Wasn't that infinitely more important? He and Riku would have to be strong and do this. Because if they didn't, then <em>everyone</em> would lose their magic. </p><p>He took a deep breath and counted down from ten to one in his head. And then once more. Then, realising he would probably never be ready enough, he turned to Riku. “Okay.”</p><p>Riku placed the backpack with the egg in the centre of the cave before both of them made their way to a side of the cave, each inside their own stone circle.</p><p>While the previous dragons had all stood by to watch the ritual happen, Tailu shuffled over to the centre, placing herself a few feet away from the egg and unfolding her wings until they almost reached the dome of the cave. Sora called on Ultima, the keyblade a heavy but comforting weight in his hand. On the far side of the cave, Sora could just make out the white flash as Braveheart appeared.</p><p>“Ready, Sora?” Riku called out.</p><p>“Ready, Riku!” Sora shouted back, with more bravado than he felt. He didn't have the luxury of second thoughts.</p><p>“Three, two, one,” Riku counted down.</p><p>“Thunder!” Sora called out, and the same time he heard Riku cast his spell from his ring of standing stones.</p><p>Lightning shot from both their keyblades simultaneously, the electrical bolts arcing, crashing together with loud cracks before spreading out all across the cave. The cave had been dark before, but now it was completely illuminated, so bright Sora almost had to close his eyes, but he forced himself to keep them open, to pay attention. He also forced himself to keep his arm raised high as he felt every last fragment of the magic discharge. Automatically, his body called on <em>Riku's</em> magic as a substitute, and while that had worked previously, now Riku was also letting his magic flow out of him, so there was little left for Sora to call on.</p><p>His chest ached, his heart racing as if he was sprinting for his life, and he didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to keep this up. The magic flowed out of him so quickly it made him feel old and empty — much like this cave.</p><p>Just when he thought he was unable to keep going, Tailu spread her wings wider, guiding all the lightning bolts in the cave towards her. The magic built as she bundled the bolts with such force that Sora felt it resonate inside of him, inside the hollow space in wake of the magic spell he just performed.</p><p>When all the lightning was converged into a single bolt, Lailu sent it directly into the egg.</p><p>Sora wasn't really sure what happened next — he dropped to his hands and knees, palms aching as they scraped against the gravel underneath him. His head was spinning and he felt like he was going to be sick. Automatically, he closed his eyes, but that made it even worse, and quickly he opened them again, blinking painfully against his tears.</p><p>The next thing he knew, Riku was gathering him in his arms, both of them on their knees and clinging to each other.</p><p>“The egg,” Sora choked out. “Is the egg okay?”</p><p>“It's okay,” Riku said, twisting away a little to drag the backpack closer across the dirt, and Sora reached for it so he could zip it open.</p><p>The egg was fine, he could feel it. It was warm — almost hot to the touch now, and he wrapped it in his arms as Riku wrapped his arms around him. Despite the tears in his eyes, Sora felt too empty to cry, too tired to speak and too weak to do anything but hold the egg as he let Riku hold him.</p><p>“Just two left,” Riku whispered into his ear. “We're almost there. It'll be okay.”</p><p>Sora wasn't sure he believed him, but he tried. He <em>wanted</em> to believe him.</p><p>When he looked up, Tailu was watching them from her place in the centre of the cave. Sora couldn’t read the expression on her face — it was too dark and she was too far away. Either way, he wasn’t sure he could read expressions on dragon faces anyway. Instead, a wave of warmth and relief rushed into him. By the way Riku's arms tightened around his shoulder, he knew Riku felt it too.</p><p><em>You've done well</em>.</p><p>Sora exhaled shakily, some of the tension inside of him unwinding at the praise.</p><p>Praise which Riku echoed when he pulled back a little, “You did do well, Sora. I’m so proud of you.”</p><p>“You too.” Sora’s voice cracked on the words. “You did well, too.”</p><p>
  <em>You can stay here, tonight. You will be safe here. No monsters come here.</em>
</p><p>“Thank you for helping us,” Riku said, shifting so he was sitting cross-legged, letting Sora out of the hug.</p><p><em>Protect the egg. Good luck</em>.</p><p>And then she was gone. </p><p>Riku shifted until he was leaning with his back towards one of the upright stones of the shrine, and Sora followed him, lying down with his head in Riku's lap, the egg still wrapped in his arms. Riku bent down to kiss him, a chaste butterfly brush of chapped lips that soothed at least some of Sora’s uncertainty and restlessness.</p><p>“I love you,” he whispered.</p><p>“I love you too,” Riku whispered back. </p><p>He fell asleep to the feeling of Riku’s hands in his hair.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>After a restless night, Sora woke up feeling the absence of magic acutely, much more so than after the previous shrines. It was as if the emptiness had spread throughout his entire body during the night, from his toes to his fingertips. </p><p>They’d given up Water, Aero, Blizzard, and Thunder now. There were just two elements left: Cure and Fire. Would giving them up be even worse, more painful still? Would things continue to get even worse from here on out? Probably. He'd never been on a journey that got <em>easier</em> as it went on.</p><p>He'd felt this exact sadness and anxiety before, after the water shrine. Looking back, that had been the beginning of when things started to shift inside of him, rearranging around a hollow where once his magic elements had been. And he remembered what he'd promised to Riku back then, that he would always tell Riku when he was sad. </p><p>They were still in the same positions as they went to sleep in last night, and when Sora opened his eyes, he found Riku already awake, watching him. They looked at each other for long moments, unspeaking. It wasn't that Sora didn't <em>want</em> to tell Riku he was sad again, it was just…that there didn't seem to be any words that he knew how to describe this feeling inside of him. </p><p>And anyway, Riku already knew he was sad, he saw in the worried glances Riku kept shooting him over breakfast, the way Riku found any excuse to touch him.</p><p>Sora found himself leaning into the touches, hoping that they would be enough to comfort him.</p><p>The map told them that the border to Hayling, the cure province that Master Yen Sid had told them to visit next, wasn’t far away. Luckily, Voltra seemed to be a much smaller province than Frigis had been, and they didn’t need a dragon to fly them across. Small mercies.</p><p>The day started out much like yesterday — hot, with thunder rumbling overhead. Sora tried very hard not to think of the fact that he would never again be able to cast a spell that would roll just the way the lightning cracked across the sky above them.</p><p>“Let’s just…” Riku trailed off, his eyes searching Sora’s face as if Sora held all the answers. Sora struggled not to look away. “Let’s try and avoid battles today, as much as we can, okay?”</p><p>Sora nodded gratefully.</p><p>Their plan worked for most of the day. They did come across a few parties of Nightmares, but the sand dunes made it possible for them to go around and avoid battle. Like yesterday, Riku carried the backpack, and Sora carried the map. Today, the journey took them past a few scattered towns and oases, but neither of them felt up to visiting any of them. There was some sort of urgency inside of Sora, to get out of this province as quickly as they could, now their job was done here.</p><p>No matter how much he usually liked heat and sand, this was too much, even for him.</p><p>After hours of walking with only a break for lunch, they finally spotted the border in the distance, just as the sun was sinking into the sand into the distance, the orange sky getting so dark it was turning red. Though the border was still easy to see, the desert ended abruptly, giving way to lush forests. Sora smiled, finally, for the first time that day, and turned to Riku to see his own smile reflected on his face.</p><p>“We made it,” Sora said, relief dripping from his voice.</p><p>“We made it,” Riku echoed, bringing a hand up to Sora’s shoulder, a thumb sweeping gently across Sora’s neck. The gesture was so tender and intimate that Sora couldn't help but shiver, closing his eyes against the rush of emotions inside of him. He'd never been very good with picking apart individual emotions, and often they overwhelmed him, like now — sadness, relief, love, forlornness even though Riku was <em>right here</em>.</p><p>They were too lost in each other, too lost in their momentary relief, to notice the Nightmares until they had already come too close to run.</p><p>“Shit, Sora!”</p><p>Sora jumped, years of instinct ensuring Ultima was in his hand before he had even assessed the danger. Riku moved to stand in front of him, Braveheart held out to the side. Riku was always protecting him, consciously or subconsciously, something that filled Sora with warmth and fear in equal amounts, because he knew now the lengths Riku would go to for him.</p><p>Then there was no more thinking, as the next moment, they were surrounded by a dozen Pegaslicks and Thunderaffes. Komy and Paopu appeared, dependable as always.</p><p>“You take the right flank, I'll take the left,” Riku said, barely waiting for Sora's affirmation before he rushed off, Komy right behind him. Sora didn't know how Riku still had so much speed and power after everything — he was moving so fast he was nothing more than a green-silver flash amidst the sand. But then, Riku always was amazing. Nothing ever got him down.</p><p>Sora shook himself out of his thoughts, gathering his battle strength around him as he crashed into the closest Nightmare with Paopu by his side, keyblade first.</p><p>Sora didn't know what made him do it.</p><p>Maybe it was the exhaustion that had settled into every muscle and bone, or maybe he was distracted by Riku's graceless, flawless attacks towards his left. Maybe he had been overusing his magic yesterday, getting too used to it. But though he started the battle relatively well, with two keyblade combos right after the other, taking down a good chunk of the Thunderaffe's health, everything went wrong immediately after. He raised his hand, knowing a good spell would finish off the Nightmare in front of him.</p><p>“Thundaga!”</p><p>He realised his mistake immediately.</p><p>It shouldn't have been a big deal. He still had Fire magic, he could have — he <em>should</em> have — collected himself and continued as if nothing had happened. He didn't know what happened, but suddenly he was unable to breathe, unable to recall a single melee attack or spell he could still use.</p><p>Frozen, his keyblade in front of his stomach in an aborted protective stance, he watched as the Thunderaffe whirled around and made straight for him. He continued to stare, wide-eyed, wondering why his body wouldn't move, as the Thunderaffe got closer and closer. Meow Wow cried out, high-pitched and desperate, but he was just as frozen as Sora was.</p><p>Then, seconds before the Nightmare would have smashed into him head-first, something green and silver rushed past Sora, slicing into the Nightmare with unstoppable force. Komory Bat followed two beats later.</p><p>Sora dropped to his knees, dazed, Ultima disappearing from his grip as he struggled to get air into his burning lungs. Riku's attack spun the Thunderaffe around, but in doing so, its tale hit Sora across the face. He recoiled, flung back down against the sand. And still, he couldn't seem to gather himself to do <em>anything</em> more than just sit there, Meow Wow still crying out next to him.</p><p>But Sora didn’t even have the strength to reach for him and comfort him. He could do nothing but stare at the scene in front of him.</p><p>Riku always fought incredibly well — Sora could watch Riku fight for <em>hours</em> and not get bored for a single second — but right now, he was unbelievable. He launched Dark Firaga after Dark Firaga, extinguishing the Nightmares one by one, and it was only when a Pegaslick crashed into something solid next to him that Sora realised Riku had cast a Dark Shield around him and Meow Wow as well, to keep them safe.</p><p>Sora's vision became blurry, and he brought a sandy hand to rub across his eyes, making them sting even more.</p><p>In no time at all, the sounds of Riku's battle cries and the sounds of the stampeding Nightmares died out as the last of the Pegaslicks disappeared, and with it, Meow Wow and Komory Bat. A second later, the Dark Shield disappeared as well, and Riku was back at his side, on his knees, breathing heavily as he reached for Sora.</p><p>“Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”</p><p>Riku's hands on his face gently tipped his head this way and that as Riku looked for injuries. Sora let him, knowing Riku needed to reassure himself that Sora was fine.</p><p>Or well. <em>Fine</em>.</p><p>“I'm okay,” he muttered. “I'm okay.” Maybe if he said it twice, it would be true. Maybe a third time. “I’m—”</p><p>“Cure,” Riku said hoarsely, fingers lightly tracing over the blossoming bruise on Sora's right cheek, which stung sharply from the hit by the Nightmare's tail. As the spell took effect, Sora shuddered from the combination of now fading pain and the profound warmth of the healing spell seeping into his skin. Riku studied him in the now almost-dark, and Sora forced his face into a shaky smile.</p><p>“At least we still have Cure magic, right?” he said, aiming for light, but knowing his words were badly chosen when Riku winced in reply. “'M sorry…”</p><p>“Don't apologise.” Riku shook his head, trying to gather himself, though he wasn’t able to keep the flash of fear out of his eyes. “It's fine. We're fine.”</p><p>“Riku…” Sora said. He wanted to say more. He wanted to tell Riku how amazing he'd been, how much Sora loved him. He wanted to make Riku promise him what he'd said was true, that they'd be <em>fine</em>. But all the words eluded him. After a moment, he struggled to his feet.</p><p>“Let's rest for a second, okay?” Riku tried to tug him back down. “You were hurt.”</p><p>“I'm <em>fine</em>,” Sora said. “I wanna go. Please, can we go?”</p><p>Riku looked at him for a long moment, before sighing. He climbed to his feet as well. “Okay, Sora.”</p><p>They walked the last mile towards the border with Hayling hand in hand, both of them needing the physical touch for comfort and reassurance that they were both fine. Above them, the stars came out one by one, dim first, then slowly getting brighter.</p><p>His thoughts kept drifting as they walked. After the water shrine, Riku had reassured him that he'd still love him without magic, and Sora believed him. But who <em>was</em> he without magic? He'd just had a panic attack in the middle of battle because he <em>couldn’t</em> use magic anymore…</p><p>Anyway, Sora thought wistfully, it wasn't like they had a choice anymore. There was no going back. He could be scared, but it wouldn't change anything.</p><p>They paused for the night just across the border. The air here wasn’t so dry, and the scorching heat had turned into a pleasantly warm temperature. They sat down against the nearest tree, pressed shoulder to shoulder.</p><p>“I know you're feeling sad,” Riku started softly, staring across the desert in the direction they'd come from. “I wish I knew how to make you feel better…”</p><p>“You are making me feel better,” Sora said because it was true. “Just by being here with me.”</p><p>As if on cue, one of the stars in the sky above the desert twinkled brightly for a second, then shot rapidly towards the ground.</p><p>“A falling star,” Riku exhaled softly. “Sora, make a wish.”</p><p>Sora held his breath. He didn't even need to think about his wish, he already knew exactly what he wanted. It placed things into perspective a little, because...he already had it.</p><p>
  <em>I wish me and Riku are going to be together. Forever.</em>
</p><p>“Sleep, Sora. I'll watch over you.”</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Sora woke because Riku was shaking his shoulder, so roughly his entire body was rolling back and forth. Sometime after he had fallen asleep, Riku had repositioned them so they were lying side by side, and now he was looking at Sora, his eyes burning and fierce in the starlight.</p><p>“You had a nightmare…” Riku said, and the sadness in his voice shook Sora further awake.</p><p>Sora remembered now, falling to his knees — in the sand of the Keyblade Graveyard, and then again as the scene had morphed into the dessert of the thunder province — voices in his head telling him he was worthless, he was nothing without his friends, without his powers…</p><p>He hiccuped. It had been ages since he'd had nightmares. Not since… Not since Shibuya, when he had been scared and alone, and—</p><p>“Hey,” Riku said softly, breaking him out of his spiralling thoughts. “It's okay. Whatever it was, it was just a dream…”</p><p>If only that were true…</p><p>“Breathe with me, okay? Slow and deep.”</p><p>Sora listened to Riku's voice, following Riku's steady rhythm of inhales and exhales, and slowly the lingering desperation of the dream didn't cut so deeply into his skin anymore. With every breath, his muscles relaxed a little further. Vaguely he realised that ever since he'd gotten back from Shibuya, Riku had probably protected him from his nightmares. But here, they were both in the same dream, making Riku unable to dream eat…</p><p>“That's it, Sora, you're doing great.”</p><p>Riku's voice was the beacon he clung to, and slowly, his heartbeat went back to normal, his fingers uncurling from their tight hold on Riku's tunic. After several minutes, he had calmed down enough to speak again.</p><p>“It's been so long since I had a nightmare… I'd almost forgotten what it feels like…”</p><p>“I'm sorry, Sora… I wish I—”</p><p>“No, no,” Sora said, quickly pressing himself closer to Riku. “It's not your fault. I didn't mean—”</p><p>“I'll protect you,” Riku said into his hair, and Sora felt the vibrations of his voice echo into him from this close. It felt nice. “I promised you once, and I'll promise you a thousand times. Whatever happens, I'll protect you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, we all knew there was some angst coming, right? :) What's a long story without some angst! Chapter 7 is already written too, it just needs editing, so I hope to be able to post it soon!</p><p>In the meantime, please leave me a kudos or a comment if you enjoyed? &lt;3333</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Cure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ahhh this is basically the resolution to all the angst from the last chapter! I hope you enjoy!! (it's gonna get a little angstier before it gets better though, and for that, I apologise in advance...)</p><p>also, small warning: there's mention of injury and blood in this chapter. Nothing graphic, though.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was no denying that Hayling was a wonderful place. The weather was pleasant, and the scenery was beautiful. The perfect summertime temperatures meant they could roll up the sleeves of their tunics as they walked. There were colourful songbirds up in the lush forest branches hanging overhead and magical forest creatures everywhere: butterflies, deer, squirrels. Sora found himself staring at them and remembering how only last week, he’d been so happy about exploring all that was new, skipping ahead of Riku because he’d been so <em>excited.</em></p><p>But no matter how hard Sora tried now, he found himself unable to appreciate any of it.</p><p>He felt like he should enjoy it. He <em>wanted </em>to enjoy it. And a tiny part of him still wanted to run around and examine every fantastical aspect. But mostly, there was this dull feeling of dread inside of him. It had started the moment he had looked up at Glinda’s magical ice crystals and realised suddenly that…so much of who he used to be was now <em>gone</em>.</p><p>The morning after the falling star, he and Riku had done what they usually did: find a map, determine where to go, and set off. It sounded simple enough. Sora <em>wanted </em>it to be simple.</p><p>Only while the actions were familiar enough, his heart just wasn’t in it anymore.</p><p>Something was…broken inside of him; losing his Thunder magic seemed to have been the final straw. And try as he might, he didn’t know how to step around the emptiness inside of him. All that was left was a few pieces that stung like shattered glass and felt like hot coals. Remnants of what he once had been. And this wasn’t even the end; they still had two shrines to go. Was he going to feel even <em>worse</em> than this?</p><p>He knew Riku could tell he wasn't okay. He saw it in the looks they shared, tired and solemn, he felt it in how they held hands too tightly and slept clinging to each other even more than usual.</p><p>He knew, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to speak about it. It wasn’t like he didn’t <em>want</em> to, but every time he opened his mouth, he just didn’t know where to start. “<em>I’m sad</em>” didn’t even seem to begin to cover it.</p><p>A long time ago, his life used to be so easy. Even after he first received his keyblade; Donald and Goofy would guide him towards each next world, he defeated enemies, he got stronger. Rinse and repeat. He was fearless, hopeful, <em>young</em>. He would move heaven and earth to get Kairi back, and <em>Riku</em>, and then everything would be okay. Yes, he’d been lonely as well, sometimes, at night in his top bunk on the gummiship, hugging his pillow and imagining it was Riku instead. But he’d been <em>so </em>convinced he would find him soon and they would just go home together.</p><p>Oh, what he wouldn’t give for even a tenth of that naive confidence now. </p><p>Now, he felt like an echo of all that he’d been back then, fading a little more into the void every day. His own body was the black hole, he couldn’t trust it anymore — again. Powerless. <em>Weak</em>. Again.</p><p>He’d lived through years of losing his strength over and over, of wondering what was right and wrong. Getting teased for having opinions, getting chastised for <em>not </em>having them. Forever struggling to understand everything that was happening to him, around him. </p><p>Sora had thought maybe losing his strength would be something he’d get used to, but instead, it got more difficult and more disheartening each time. It didn’t help that this time, he was doing it voluntarily. In fact, <em>knowing</em> it was happening, <em>willingly</em> giving his magic up, aware of the fact that it wasn’t coming back this time, no matter how much he worked… </p><p>Did Riku feel like this, too?</p><p>Probably not. Riku was stronger, better than him, Riku was a <em>Master</em>, he had the courage of a lion and the devotion of a tiger. He was everything that Sora was not. Sora looked at him and saw that. So he would try to be better, too. Stronger. He would try because he didn’t know what else to do, or what else to <em>be</em>. He would try for <em>Riku</em>.</p><p>So he put on a brave face, and he allowed himself the comfort of Riku’s hand in his, and Riku’s hands in his hair when they hugged, and he let Riku guide them towards the cure shrine — a few days walk away from the border. </p><p>The dragon egg was a comfort, too. Sora insisted on carrying the backpack because the weight was reassuring against his shoulders and back. The egg was so warm now that he felt it through the backpack and his tunic, and at night he would hold it and stroke its shell. He used to talk to it, but now he didn’t know what to say to it anymore. He just hoped the baby dragon would be able to <em>feel</em> his touch as well.</p><p>Riku wrote in his journal, quiet and brooding. Every once in a while, Sora felt Riku's gaze on him, as if studying him. Once or twice he opened his mouth as if to say something before shaking his head and turning back to the journal. Sora cooked and read the map, trying and failing to not dwell on all the unhappy feelings inside of him. They fought Nightmares, each battle a little bit more of a struggle than the last one (because he was <em>weak, weak, weak</em>, and he would never be as strong again as he’d once been). They still talked, but not as much as before; practical decisions, where to sleep and which road to take.</p><p>Sora didn’t know what else to talk about anymore. That scared him most of all. He’d never run out of words before. Never with Riku. But all that was left in his heart was sadness, and sadness was the <em>one</em> thing he didn’t know how to talk about.</p><p>He never really had. He’d always just smiled and pretended he was <em>happy</em> instead.</p><p>It took them three days to reach the cure shrine. Master Yen Sid had asked them to keep an eye out for clues and dragons, but there was…nothing. Apart from the steady stream of Nightmares, the world here was eerily quiet. No villages, no other travellers. Earlier, the dragons had shown them the way to a shrine, guided them. </p><p>Sora could do with a dragon now, but none showed up.</p><p>Not even when they struggled through dense shrubberies to find the shrine in a clearing in the forest, hidden from view by a thick canopy of trees. The shrine was on the far side of the clearing and looked the same as the others: familiar large straight rocks positioned in a circle, one giant stone slate in the centre. They paused for long moments, taking in the entire setting.</p><p>“It’s strange,” Riku said, voicing Sora’s thoughts. “Before, we would’ve seen one by now…”</p><p>Sora looked around. The entire clearing was devoid of animal life. No squirrels, no butterflies. Even the birds had stopped singing. This was probably a bad sign. “Master Yen Sid did say one was missing.”</p><p>Riku crossed his arms and sighed. “Guess we’re gonna have to do it without a dragon this time.”</p><p>Sora looked back at the shrine, and if he thought he’d felt dread before, it was nothing to what he felt now. His stomach lurched like the ocean during a storm, and he had to wipe his clammy and cool hands on his tunic. Still, through the unease and the distress, he spoke up. “I’ll do it.”</p><p>Riku turned to him fully, uncrossing his arms again. When he studied Sora’s face for a moment, his expression was unreadable. “I can do it.”</p><p>“You’ve done more shrines than me already. It should be me this time.” Sora pressed his teeth together, and he hoped the look on his face would be more mature frown than childish pout.</p><p>“It’s not a competition, Sora,” Riku said. Sora’s gaze dropped, and he saw both of Riku’s hands balled into fists at his side.</p><p>
  <em>If I can’t even do this, who am I anymore? </em>
</p><p>“So you don’t think I can do it?” That wasn’t what Sora had meant to say. His throat clenched up with unshed tears, and his eyes burned. Stupid. He was so <em>stupid</em>.</p><p>“That’s not what I said.” </p><p>Riku’s voice was patient, but Sora could see the way his jaw clenched. He didn’t know what that meant. Was Riku angry? Sora blinked, and a single tear ran down his cheek. When he met Riku’s eyes again, Riku’s face had softened. </p><p>“You know I’d never think that, Sora…”</p><p>Did he? Sora looked inside himself, past the fear and the sadness, and images flickered in his mind like a silent movie — Riku’s hand on his shoulder, Riku in the dirt beside him, Riku’s arms around him as he woke up from his crystal stasis in Shibuya, Riku, <em>Riku</em>.</p><p>“Yeah. I know.” Sora deflated. He swayed on his feet and almost dropped to his knees as he was left shaky and empty after their almost-fight. Riku stepped forward, and Sora swerved towards him, into his embrace.</p><p>“If you’re sure,” Riku said. “I’ll support you. I believe in you.”</p><p>Sora wrapped his arms around Riku’s waist, hands pressing against the dip in his spine. He held on tight.</p><p>They were both so tired and so on edge. They weren’t themselves at all, trying and failing to speak the same language, and Sora didn’t know how to fix it. He felt like all the good parts of him had been scraped out. </p><p>Had the magic been all his good parts? </p><p>When they pulled apart from the hug, Riku cupped his face, Sora's cheeks wet and hot. The next moment, they were kissing, desperately, urgently. Sora wanted to feel <em>everything </em>— <em>anything. </em>Anything that wasn’t sadness. He brought his hands up to the collar of Riku's tunic, grounding himself as the world was spinning. He kept his eyes open, watching as Riku’s fell shut. Afraid that if he closed them, he would fall to pieces completely. He pressed closer, needing the touch, the reassurance, anything Riku was able to give him.</p><p>When they pulled apart to breathe, Sora watched as Riku’s eyes fluttered open, wild and intense.</p><p>“I love you,” Sora said, to try and bridge whatever it was that had come between them.</p><p>“I love <em>you</em>,” Riku repeated, and Sora felt himself relax just a little. “You can do this. I’ll be here, okay?”</p><p>Sora nodded. They crossed the grass, a hundred and fifty-three steps until they reached the shrine, and Sora counted every step. Once there, he took the egg out of the backpack and tried not to think. Just breathe in and out, just cast a spell, like he’d done thousands of times before. </p><p>With the egg on the stone in the middle, he took a few steps back. He called on his keyblade and raised it high. With a last look at Riku, who gave him a shaky smile, he closed his eyes.</p><p>“Cure!”</p><p>With his eyes closed, he didn’t see what happened next, but he felt it all the more. The familiar warmth of a healing spell filled the air around him, but instead of the relief it usually brought him, he felt the piercing pain of the magic leaving him without giving him anything in return. The spell flowed out of him, curling around him — he could <em>feel</em> its power all over his skin. He kept his keyblade high even when his arm started shaking, digging deeper inside himself for every scrap of Healing magic. It kept flowing out of him for long, long moments, even when he stumbled, falling to one knee. Even when he felt <em>Riku’s</em> magic run into him through the Dream Eater link, making up for the emptiness, but only for a moment before it was gone as well.</p><p>Sora choked on his next breath, keyblade falling from his grasp and dissipating before it hit the grass. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to stamp his feet and be <em>angry</em> because it wasn’t fair, none of this was <em>fair</em>. </p><p>Instead, he bowed his head and gasped around the first sob that rose inside of him.</p><p>“Riku…” he said, his body shaking with the strain of holding back.</p><p>Riku was there, of course he was, he <em>always</em> was, and Sora turned to him, clung to him, whispering over and over, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” even though he wasn’t sure what he was apologising for.</p><p>But before Sora had collected himself, Riku tensed up, making Sora tense up in return.</p><p>“A Nightmare,” Riku hissed, and Sora felt his stomach twist violently, bile rising at the back of his throat.</p><p>Sora pulled back a little to see Riku watching over the top of his head, already assessing the situation. When Riku looked back to him, he pressed their foreheads together briefly, his eyes so full of emotion that Sora shuddered. Then, wordlessly, Riku stood, Braveheart in head, Komory Bat appearing above his head in a flutter of light and wings.</p><p>It was only years of battle-instinct that made Sora’s keyblade appear in his hand, made him stand with Riku and square his shoulders, two hands on the handle of Ultima. He gasped as he recognised the Nightmare in front of him. “It’s the Spellican!”</p><p>“We can do this, Sora,” Riku said, and Riku’s eternal courage gave Sora the strength to grip his blade harder. </p><p>He looked down, to where Meow Wow was jumping up and down. At least one of them was eager for action. Sora inhaled deeply and with a final look back towards the egg — still safe and sound in the middle of the shrine, thankfully — he leapt into battle.</p><p>The timing for the fight could not have been worse, and Sora knew from the start that he wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long. He felt weak, his body still shaky, tingling almost painfully with the absence of his Cure magic. He dodge-rolled as the Spellican sent a volley of shooting stars at him, and he realised then that much of this battle would be spent guarding and rolling around out of harm’s way. Trying to sneak in keyblade combinations whenever he could.</p><p><em>Don’t try and use Cure, don’t try and use Cure,</em> he repeated the words to himself like a mantra, remembering what had happened when he had tried to use his missing Thunder magic.</p><p>At least there was only <em>one</em> enemy this time, even though it was a strong one.</p><p>The Spellican warped around the area almost too fast to see, and Sora brought up his keyblade as the Nightmare transformed its staff into a sword of light. Just in time. The sword crashed into Ultima with a flash so bright it made Sora unable to see anything for a long moment. When his vision returned, he saw Paopu launching himself at the Nightmare with reckless abandon. Sora pushed back against the sword with all his strength, teeth clenched in a sudden surge of determination as he saw Riku launch a Dark Firaga from the corner of his eye.</p><p>The attack crashed into the Spellican, leaving it open for a spinning blow from Sora, which he followed up with a Sonic Rush.</p><p>The Nightmare righted itself before firing a series of spells around the battlefield. Dark orbs collided with Meow Wow and Komory Bat, sending them backwards with cries that Sora felt echo deep inside of him. Still, there was no time to check up on their Dream Eaters, barely even time for Sora to raise his blade in a block as the Spellican called forth a series of meteors from the sky.</p><p>Sora dodge-rolled around, evading most of the burning rocks, and when he took a moment to look up, he saw Riku on his knees inside a Dark Shield. Sora made for him, snatching up Paopu on the way, hoping Komy would be able to follow him. As another meteor smashed into the ground behind him, the heat singing the back of his neck, he rolled into Riku’s shield bubble. Komy flew in after him, immediately going to Riku’s shoulder</p><p>Riku was breathing hard, clearly also affected by the Cure trial and the battle they were thrown into without any warning. Still, the shield he’d cast held, and he had Braveheart raised towards the skies.</p><p>“Okay?” Riku panted, lifting his keyblade the tiniest amount to increase the bubble they were inside as meteors continued to rain down on the shield from above.</p><p>“Yes,” Sora said, trying very hard to calm his breathing down even a little bit. Meow Wow was shaking in his arms.</p><p>“It won’t be long now. I think we wore him down a lot already,” Riku said, his eyes narrowed in concentration.</p><p>As soon as the meteors stopped, the shield disappeared, and without even missing a beat, Riku and Komy rushed off to stagger the Spellican while he was weak in the wake of his spell. Sora was a second behind him, hurling his blade into the Spellican’s side repeatedly. Meow Wow propelled himself into one of the Nightmare’s wings.</p><p>As the Spellican floated in the air, open for more attacks, Sora seized his chance. He brought up his blade with two hands, pausing for a second to adjust his stance so he could deliver a more powerful blow.</p><p>But that single second was a second too long.</p><p>The Spellican spun around, sending Meow Wow flying into the air with a blow of his wings.</p><p>“Paopu!” Sora called.</p><p>Distracted, he hesitated, and the next thing he knew, the Spellican had raised its staff and used it to draw Sora closer to him. Sora struggled, twisting around so his back was to the Nightmare's chest, but he couldn't get away. The Spellican pressed Sora against its body, effectively binding him. Sora waved his keyblade around, but before it hit anything, more dark orbs crashed into him. He tried to double over in pain, but the Nightmare’s hold on him was relentless. His keyblade disappeared from his grip.</p><p>“Sora!!!” Vaguely, Sora heard Riku’s voice, equal parts anger and horror.</p><p>Sora struggled against the pain, the last of his strength quickly seeping out of him.</p><p>“Don’t <em>touch him</em>!”</p><p>Sora felt himself falling, suddenly, crashing towards the ground as the Spellican released its grip on him. When he landed on his hands and knees, he forced himself to raise his head and saw Riku, so fierce and powerful, crashing into the Spellican repeatedly. At some point, he had merged with Komy because he had <em>wings</em> once more, and he unleashed attack after attack, driving the Nightmare back away from the shrine, away from Sora.</p><p>Sora tried to stand, tried to call on his keyblade again, but it felt like an eternity before it materialised in his hand. Meow Wow nuzzled at his boot, and with relief, Sora felt his Dream Eater’s healing spell flood into him. But before Sora could resume his battle stance, he looked up just in time to see the Spellican teleport away from Riku and reappear right in front of him.</p><p>Sora raised his blade in defence, then watched in horror as the Nightmare transformed its staff into that sword of light again. He dodge-rolled to the left as the sword came crashing down into the ground where he had been standing a second ago. The Spellican turned on him again, swinging the sword back around, and Sora knew he had to dodge-roll again, but everything around him was hazy at the edges. He froze. The sword moved, and he could only watch as it was brought down on him.</p><p>He closed his eyes, covering his head with both arms, bracing himself for the blow.</p><p>But instead of the pain he was expecting, in between one moment and the next, he heard Riku’s bloodcurdling cry of pain.</p><p>“Riku!” He opened his eyes to see Riku being thrown across the clearing, a flash of green and red. Riku crashed against one of the stones of the shrine, falling towards the ground where he lay — motionless — in a heap. “Riku! Nooooo!”</p><p>His first instinct was to go to him — he <em>needed</em> to make sure Riku was okay, Riku had to be okay, what if he— But he couldn’t. He had to finish this battle first; neither of them would be safe as long as the Nightmare was still here.</p><p>Ultima back in hand, Meow Wow at his side, he drove into the Spellican. He unleashed combo after combo, not letting up for a single second. He’d been tired and in pain before, but adrenaline and panic did weird things to his body. Through his tears, he fought — for his own life, for <em>Riku's</em>.</p><p>The Spellican staggered backwards a little more with each blow, and Sora used the last of his magic to call out, “Firaza!”</p><p>Flames erupted from his Keyblade, forming a ball that hit the Spellican straight in the chest. The Nightmare was sent flying into the air, where it disappeared in a flash of light. Sora ignored his first instinct of running over to Riku’s side, and instead let his eyes roam around the clearing to make sure the coast was clear.</p><p>The silence was deafening in the wake of the fight. Meow Wow looked up at him, made a little comforting yipping sound, and Sora felt another healing spell cast on him. Sora dropped to his knees, reaching for his Dream Eater. “Paopu, can you… can you heal Riku, too?”</p><p>But the battle was over, and their Dream Eaters always disappeared after battles. This time was no different, and with a final cry and nuzzle into his forearm, Meow Wow faded in a burst of light.</p><p>Sora felt like crying. But he couldn’t. He wouldn't. Not now. Not when Riku— </p><p>At least Meow Wow disappearing meant the battle was truly over. With the last of his adrenaline fueling his actions, he lurched to his feet, and half-ran, half-stumbled back towards the shrine, his eyes honing in on where Riku was still lying motionless against the bottom of the stone.</p><p>“Riku!”</p><p>He dropped to his knees at Riku’s side, biting down the panic in his chest when he saw the front of Riku’s tunic soaked in blood. </p><p>“No, no no,” he gasped. “Riku, you can’t do this to me!”</p><p>Why now? When he had just given up his Cure magic so recently. It was always going to be difficult without Cure, but he hadn’t expected <em>this</em>… He reached out, gripping Riku by his shoulders. He felt his panic bubbling up, his heartbreak, his anguish. Tears filled his eyes once more, but he blinked them away, suddenly angry also with <em>himself</em>. If he had been faster, <em>better</em>… And, he couldn’t help himself, even though he knew it wasn’t fair — angry with <em>Riku</em>.</p><p>Why was Riku <em>always</em> doing this? Picking up his slack, protecting him, <em>sacrificing himself</em> for him?</p><p>“Riku, you're such an <em>idiot</em>, please, please, you can't leave me here alone. You can't <em>leave me</em>!” He felt like screaming, like punching the stone above him, rage rising up to cover out almost all other emotions. Instead, he forced himself to look down into Riku’s face, white as a sheet. But he was still breathing, Sora could see his chest rising and falling regularly. </p><p><em>Thank god</em>.</p><p>He shook Riku’s shoulders, a little rougher than he’d intended. “Riku! Riku, wake up!”</p><p>Nothing happened.</p><p>“No, no…” Sora wanted to curl himself around Riku, lie down with him until night fell and then— And then? What was he <em>doing</em>, what was he even thinking? He had to be strong now, he had to figure things out.</p><p>They had hi-potions, lots of them. They were prepared for this, they knew the moment without Cure magic would come. Sora reached into his pocket to take out a tiny bottle, cradling Riku’s head in one arm as he uncapped it. Carefully, he brought it to Riku’s lips, sending a little swig down Riku’s throat.</p><p>He waited with bated breath, but Riku didn’t stir yet, so he repeated the gesture. Drop after drop, until the bottle was completely empty. He tossed it aside, using both arms to cradle Riku’s head. “Wake up, Riku… Please, you can’t—”</p><p>Riku coughed then, his whole body jerking, and Sora looked up in quick alarm as more blood spilt out of Riku’s chest onto his slashed tunic. “Don’t move!”</p><p>Riku’s body went limp again as his eyes struggled open, glazed with pain. “Sora?”</p><p>“You’re okay. We’re okay,” Sora was aware that he was babbling, but he didn’t care. Anything to keep Riku awake with him. “Stay here, okay? Don’t move. I’m gonna go grab the backpack.”</p><p>“Okay,” Riku said weakly, and Sora carefully lowered his head to the ground, and after making sure Riku’s eyes remained open and he was still breathing — although now a bit more shallowly, he rushed off toward the egg. </p><p>He had so many things to worry about that he’d almost forgotten about the egg, but by some miracle it was safe. Completely unharmed by the battle that had raged all around the shrine only moments ago. Sora gathered it in one arm and picked up the backpack from the edge of the shrine in his other before stumbling back towards Riku’s side, placing the egg and the pack down.</p><p>Daylight was fading rapidly, he realised suddenly as he looked up at the streaks of orange-pink-purple across the sky. They should spend the night here. Heal up. He should make them a fire. Riku was already shivering violently, and when Sora touched his forehead, the skin there was cold and clammy.</p><p>Riku was still conscious though, his eyes filled with pain, but he didn't look to be in any immediate danger anymore. His breathing was normal again. Now that Sora’s initial panic had faded, he was so <em>angry</em>, why was he so angry? </p><p>“Riku. Oh, Riku, why did you <em>do</em> that, you shouldn't have—” Sora cut himself off. Another wave of angry-scared-upset crashed over him, too many feelings to process, threatening to take away his breath. He pushed it all down, instead mentally cataloguing everything he needed to do. Fix Riku up, heal himself, fire, food… Probably in that order. The hi-potion had helped some, but not enough. And without healing magic, the cut wouldn’t heal properly unless he cleaned it and sutured it closed.</p><p>“You’re gonna need stitches,” Sora said curtly, unable to keep the emotions out of his voice. Riku flinched at the underlying anger that Sora hadn't been able to mask. </p><p>Wordlessly, Sora helped Riku sit up, taking off the ruined tunic and shirt. He folded them into a makeshift compression bandage, pressing it against Riku’s chest. “Hold this.” Then he took off his own tunic to use as a pillow, slipping it underneath Riku’s head as Riku sank back down. Sora brushed Riku’s hair aside with blood-coated fingers, realising belatedly he was getting Riku’s hair dirty. He couldn’t really bring himself to care.</p><p>“I told you…” Riku said through gritted teeth. “I’d protect you…”</p><p>“Stop talking,” Sora said, more harshly than he intended. It also wasn’t the words he wanted to say — <em>I love you, stay with me, don’t leave me, please, please</em> — but after the hi-potion, with the immediate danger over, Sora felt the previously pushed-down anger rise back up in his chest. Riku was such an <em>idiot</em>… Why did he have to go and do <em>that</em>… “<em>Why</em>, Riku?”</p><p>“You know why…” Riku said, emotion thick in his voice.</p><p>And Sora did. He loved it as much as he hated it, but Riku was always protecting him, saving him, and just as before, it filled him with equal parts warmth and fear. And right now, the fear was definitely winning, no matter how much he wanted to console Riku, reassure him… </p><p>“I don’t like it. Riku, you could have— You almost—” <em>You almost died</em>, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.</p><p>Riku heard the unspoken words anyway and turned his head, staring stoically past Sora’s shoulder. His mouth was a hard line, his eyes burning with more than just pain and the last of the fading sunlight. Sora took a deep breath and reached for the first-aid-kit in the bag, searching for the supplies he’d need.</p><p>He set to work because that was the only thing he could think of right now. What was it Aerith had said about an injury like this? Numb the area first, right?</p><p>He put on a set of thin gloves before injecting a little vial of numbing agent into the blood-covered skin, and both of them waited in tense silence for it to set in. Riku kept staring into the distance and when, after a few minutes, Sora poked the skin and raised an eyebrow in a silent question, Riku gave a curt nod.</p><p>Underneath all of his emotions, the rage was already ebbing, broken down in his bloodstream along with the adrenaline from the fight.</p><p>Yet when Sora opened his mouth, he found that once again, he had no words. So he just shook his head and, watching Riku’s eyes slip shut, set to work with deft fingers. He hadn’t done this often, but Aerith had taught him well (“You’re doing dangerous things, Sora, and one day you might need to know these things”), so he was able to press the skin together with one hand, while the other passed the needle through in quick but careful stitches. He bit his lip in concentration, a little harder than was probably necessary, but he revelled a little in the dull pain it sent into his bottom lip.</p><p>He was so preoccupied he missed the first sob. But he did notice the second one, right after he pushed the needle through the skin a final time. His eyes snapped upwards, to Riku’s face, hidden because Riku had his arm slung across his nose and eyes, but it was obvious he was crying. What was left of Sora’s anger vanished instantly. </p><p>“Hey. It’s okay. Riku, it’s okay. I’m done...”</p><p>Though it probably wasn’t the stitches Riku was crying about...</p><p>He forced himself to remain still as he tied the thread of the last suture into a knot, then took off the gloves. His hands had been steady throughout the procedure, but now they were shaking again. He discarded the suture kit somewhere next to the backpack before putting his hand back on Riku’s fever-hot stomach, slightly below the sutured wound.</p><p>Part of him wanted to grab Riku’s arm to yank it away from his eyes, to face him head-on and draw the sorrow out of him and face it together, but he had to be patient here. Riku <em>never</em> cried, so when he did… Sora’s first instinct was to comfort him, but he knew he had to wait to do it on Riku’s terms. <em>Especially</em> now...</p><p>Riku’s stomach shook with suppressed sobs while Sora waited long, long minutes for Riku to remove his arm. Even though Sora knew he’d been crying, it was still a shock to see the tears in those bright aqua eyes. He curled his fingers against Riku’s skin subconsciously, fighting back his own despair. He had to be strong for both of them right now.</p><p>Finally, Riku spoke, his voice a grated whisper. “I don’t know how <em>not</em> to protect you.”</p><p>Tears sprung to Sora’s eyes at the hopelessness on Riku’s face. The wetness around his eyes burned orange in the rays of the setting sun.</p><p>“You can’t ask this of me. It’s all I am.” Riku’s voice was a whisper, but Sora had stopped breathing, so he heard every word as clear as crackling thunder. “I can’t dream eat here, but at least I can do this. And I will keep doing it, Sora, even if you end up hating me.”</p><p>There was so much Sora wanted to reply to that. Riku was so much more than just his Dream Eater, his protector, so much more too than his <em>boyfriend</em>. But he knew this wasn’t the moment to argue. </p><p>Instead, he curled up into Riku’s right side, arm carefully slung across his stomach, avoiding the newly sutured wound. Even pressed into the side of Riku’s chest, he could hear and feel Riku’s heartbeat through his warm, sweaty skin.</p><p>“I know.” His voice was just as hoarse as Riku’s, and possibly even more tearful. “I’m sorry, Riku. I’m so sorry… When I saw you get hit, I just got so scared…”</p><p>Riku’s hand hovered over Sora’s shoulders as if he wasn’t sure Sora would welcome his touch right now. It broke Sora’s heart. He did this. He made Riku doubt himself. He didn’t want <em>this</em> to be the price of losing their magic. He <em>refused</em> to let this be the price. He reached up to take Riku’s hand, tugging it around his waist. Riku was warm and solid, and he was still here. And Sora was still here. They were together and they had survived everything this world had thrown at them so far. Every trial, every ordeal, every sad moment.</p><p>And it hadn’t even been <em>bad</em> because he’d done it all with Riku. And when it was scary, and when he got sad, Riku was <em>always </em>there for him.</p><p>Sora looked him in the eye, his vision blurry with tears. “I got angry at you because I was scared.”</p><p>“I know,” Riku said softly. “I was scared, too. When I saw the Spellican move in for that final blow, I didn’t even think twice, I knew I had to block it for you.”</p><p>“I don’t wanna lose you,” Sora’s voice broke. “You can’t leave me here alone. You can’t ever leave me.”</p><p>“I’m sorry… I promise I’ll never leave you. I’ll be here.”</p><p>“Then please…” Sora nuzzled his cheek against Riku’s bare skin, before pressing a small close-mouthed kiss to his pec, his hair falling forward into his eyes a little. “Let’s make a deal, okay? I’ll let you protect me if you’ll let me protect you.”</p><p>Sora raised his head to meet Riku’s gaze, dark and still sad beyond words. But there was a flicker of <em>something </em>there, and it lifted Sora’s spirits the tiniest amount. </p><p>“Okay,” Riku whispered. “I suppose that’s only fair.”</p><p>They lay together until the sun had completely disappeared, leaving in its wake a sky full of stars. Sora was loath to leave Riku, even if only for a moment, but they would need a fire and some food. So he pressed a kiss to Riku’s forehead and set about gathering wood for a fire. With the only magic element remaining, he lighted their fire and set about making tomato soup with white rice. Not too spicy, because he wasn’t sure Riku’s stomach would be able to handle that right now.</p><p>Riku sat up while they ate, and before they went to sleep, they each had another hi-potion — Riku stubbornly refusing to drink his until Sora promised to also drink one — which left Sora feeling a little bit better. There was more to say. He hadn’t even begun to talk about any of the things he’d been thinking about over the past few days, but it could wait. Right now, Riku needed sleep, and so did he.</p><p>Sora checked Riku’s wound, satisfied that it was healing even more with the additional potion. He looked around. Riku’s tunic was ruined, and Sora’s was serving as their pillow. But even with the fire, they would get cold overnight…</p><p>An idea suddenly struck him. Their winter coats had disappeared magically when they no longer needed them. It would stand to reason that they would reappear when needed, from whatever magical dimension they were stored in. Sora held out his hands, wishing for his coat back. It materialised immediately, soft and warm in his arms, he smiled.</p><p>“Riku!”</p><p>Riku smiled back, tired but soft, and mimicked what Sora had done. A second later, his dark yellow coat appeared. He looked up, and their eyes met with a shared flicker of understanding and warmth. Sora’s smile grew. Riku took the egg, and Sora buttoned their coats together to make a substitute blanket. Then, he curled up behind Riku and covered them both with the coats, mindful of the wound. With a weird, almost forgotten feeling of peace, he listened to their breathing evening out as he slowly relaxed into sleep.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
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</p><p>The next morning, Sora woke up with a crick in his neck and a cold back. Riku had shifted onto his back and tugged on the coat-blanket in his sleep, one hand curled into it, the other fisted in Sora’s shirt. He was still asleep, his face soft and dusted pink. Sora pressed a hand against Riku’s cheek, and even in sleep, Riku leaned into his touch a little. </p><p>They should stay and rest for a bit longer, Sora thought. It'd be good for Riku. Master Yen Sid had impressed upon them the need for urgency, but of course, that was before Riku got his chest slashed open by a Nightmare… </p><p>Sora sighed, continuing to brush cool fingers over Riku’s warm skin. He probably shouldn’t; he wanted Riku to get more sleep and Riku would wake up, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d been so <em>stupid</em>. He’d spent days not really talking to Riku, too lost in his own feelings, and he’d missed somehow what he knew now, that Riku had been feeling just as lost. Probably also working up the courage to talk to Sora, and not knowing how…</p><p>Sora sighed softly, staring at Riku’s peaceful face. At least in sleep, he looked calm, relaxed, not burdened by the worries of the world. Riku deserved that. He deserved to have a break from worrying.</p><p>He watched, smiling in spite of himself as Riku’s eyes fluttered open. Riku's face was surprisingly unguarded, and he was smiling, though his eyes were still a little sad and uncertain.</p><p>“Hey,” Sora whispered, propping himself up on an elbow. His other hand remained pressed against Riku’s warm cheek.</p><p>“Hey,” Riku said, voice hoarse with sleep. </p><p>They smiled at each other, and Sora knew suddenly that it all would be okay. If, after everything that had happened, he and Riku could still smile at each other like this, there was nothing that would ever tear them apart.</p><p>“How are you feeling?”</p><p>“Tired,” Riku said. “But okay. I'm okay.”</p><p>Sora exhaled slowly, brushing his thumb back and forth over Riku's face as if that would help convince him Riku was okay. Riku's smile widened, and some of Sora's worry faded away. “You should still have another hi-potion.”</p><p>Riku nodded, and Sora helped him sit up for a moment to drink one. Afterwards, they lay down again, as close as was physically possible.</p><p>“We should…talk,” Sora murmured in the inches of space between them. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for days, but I just didn’t— I didn’t have the words…”</p><p>“I know…” Riku said, his face settling into a little worried frown. “I wanted to talk to you, too, but I also didn't know how… I just want to be here for you. Whatever you need, I want to <em>be</em> that for you.”</p><p>“You are,” Sora said, voice thick with emotion. “You always are.”</p><p>Riku blinked a few times, his eyes brighter and a little wet, although no tears spilt over. “I know you don’t like it. But it makes me feel…so <em>strong</em>, when you need me, when I get to protect you. Maybe not like yesterday, I don’t mean that, but I—”</p><p>“Riku… It's not that I don't <em>like</em> it. I <em>do</em> like it. When you comfort me. When you believe in me. When you protect me.”</p><p>“I feel so guilty about it,” Riku said softly, barely above a whisper. “It's not like before, when I was jealous. Possessive. I <em>promise</em> it isn't. But I’ve learned that I… I always feel better, <em>stronger</em>, when I have something to protect. And I want to protect you more than anything else in the world. I always have. I tried to push these feelings down, but—”</p><p>“Riku, you don’t need to feel ashamed about that!” Sora said, louder than he’d meant, and Riku winced a little. “Yes, I can protect myself most of the time. But you’ve always been looking out for me, saving me, and I <em>like</em> it when you protect me. It makes me feel special. Loved.”</p><p>Riku was silent for a moment, studying Sora’s face. When he spoke up again, his voice was barely a whisper. “Do you remember… Do you remember when we were little, and Terra came to the islands?”</p><p>Sora nodded.</p><p>“He asked me why I was interested in the outside world.”</p><p>“What did you tell him?”</p><p>“That I wanted to be strong. To protect…the things that matter. And now, after everything, I still feel like that. I feel it even <em>more</em>.”</p><p>“Riku…” Sora shifted upwards so he could press his forehead against Riku’s. He went a little cross-eyed trying to keep eye contact, but he was smiling again because he wanted <em>Riku</em> to smile again. That soft smile that he only had for Sora, when his eyes crinkled and his nose scrunched up a little bit, and sometimes he’d huff fondly. <em>That</em> smile.</p><p>“I feel...safe, with you, Riku. I love how you make me feel. Your faith in me. I didn’t realise what it was for so long. But I know now.”</p><p>“Sora…”</p><p>“I’ll always let you protect me. Because even though it scares me to know you might get hurt, it fills me with love more.”</p><p>“I love you,” Riku said, and Sora’s plan had failed a little because Riku wasn’t smiling, he was <em>crying</em> again. “I love you so, so much, Sora, you don’t even—”</p><p>“No, I know. Trust me, I <em>know</em>.”</p><p>It was easy, closing the distance between their mouths. Riku’s lips were dry and a little chapped, but he smelled like <em>Riku</em>, and Sora loved him <em>so</em> much, always, it spilt through all his cracks. He didn’t know how <em>not</em> to love Riku, and he knew, deep down, that he’d also do anything to keep Riku safe. And the thought terrified him, but it also gave him life, because what an amazing thing to care so much for somebody that it eclipsed everything else inside of him. </p><p>He felt drained, empty, and this place was taking so much from him, he <em>knew</em>, but he also knew he could do anything, everything, as long as Riku was by his side.</p><p>The kiss started as just brushing their lips together, and Sora's elbow hurt from digging into the ground, and his back was still cold, but it was <em>Riku</em>. Riku was okay and safe, and Riku believed in him, wanted to <em>protect</em> him, and how could Sora ever say no to a confession like that? And though he felt Riku’s own desperation, his fear, his pain, he also felt Riku's absolute devotion and love for him, always.</p><p>It filled his chest with something light and wonderful.</p><p>And now that they had started, Sora found he couldn’t stop. Careful of Riku’s wounds, and the coats between them, he rolled over so he was straddling Riku’s thighs. He leaned down again, licking into Riku’s mouth — desperately, a little <em>possessively</em> — and Riku answered in tune, opening up to him, moaning into his mouth. Riku’s hands tugged at his hips, digging into the skin through Sora’s trousers. Riku’s touch grounded him, brought him back to life after days of slowly drowning more and more.</p><p>But Riku was still hurt, and even though Sora wanted nothing more than to kiss Riku all day, he slowed down, suppressing his desperation, his <em>I almost lost you and I just wanna hold you forever</em>. Instead, he trailed his lips to Riku’s cheeks, his temple, before kissing his forehead. Riku trembled underneath him, arms winding around Sora’s waist.</p><p>Sora shifted again, mindful of the wound, and he nestled himself into Riku’s side again.</p><p>“I’m so scared,” Sora said faintly, finally, <em>finally</em> voicing the feelings that had been building inside of him for so long. “And I was so scared yesterday when the Spellican sent you flying across the clearing.”</p><p>“It’s okay to be scared, Sora. I’m scared, too.”</p><p>“I don’t wanna be scared anymore…” Sora buried his face in the warm space below Riku’s arm.</p><p>“I know it’s hard,” Riku’s voice was clear, and Sora felt his chest rumbling. “But you can be scared and brave at the same time. And then focus on feeling brave. You can be sad, and also strong. It’s not one or the other.”</p><p>“But it’s so stupid!” Sora blurted out, lifting his head to look at Riku. “To feel so sad about this! <em>You</em> don’t feel sad about it, you’re always so—” Sora paused at the look on Riku’s face. </p><p>“You don’t think I’m sad about…losing my magic?” </p><p>“But you’re always so strong and brave! And you’re always protecting me. Saving me. Comforting me.”</p><p>“You’re always doing the same for me, Sora,” Riku said, softy. Sora blinked. “The number of times I struggled and almost gave up… I would think of you, and your earnest smiles, and the way you always just…followed your heart. I learned to fight for other things than myself, and I learned to fight for…well, for a lot of things, but for <em>you</em>, most of all. And you believed in me, always. And you gave me strength. You’re my <em>light</em>, Sora, and if you think I’m strong, it’s only because of you…”</p><p>“Really?” Sora said, and suddenly he felt giddy, every one of Riku’s words making him feel lighter than air.</p><p>“I’m sad, too, Sora.” Riku turned his face with a sad smile, which was still so <em>fond</em> that Sora felt himself tear up. “Maybe I should’ve told you sooner. Maybe that would’ve helped. It’s just…” </p><p>Riku looked up at the skies above them, and Sora sighed, tension leaving him like water. </p><p>“Hard,” they said at the same time.</p><p>Riku chuckled as Sora smiled. “We need to learn how to talk to each other, also when we’re sad or scared…”</p><p>“I know…” Sora answered. “I promised you I would. I just didn’t know how.”</p><p>“We’ll learn, together.”</p><p>“Yeah…”</p><p>They had been cuddling and kissing and talking for so long that the sun was already high in the sky. Sora’s stomach grumbled to indicate that it had been at least two hours since he’d woken up, and he still hadn’t had breakfast yet.</p><p>“I think we should stay here for another day,” Sora said, a frown of worry on his face as he looked at Riku. “We deserve to rest for another day.”</p><p>He’d expected Riku to argue but instead, Riku nodded. “You’re right.”</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Sora thought he’d be bored, staying here for a whole day with no plan, but he was anything but. After making sure Riku was sitting up and comfortable, he searched the forest for wild strawberries and also found unfamiliar pink sweet fruits that were a blend between pears and apples. With them, he made fruit-filled porridge for brunch before they spent most of the day resting up. They lounged against the shrine’s stone, enjoying the sunshine and the magic that flowed through the air here. With the Spellican defeated, the forest had come alive again, the birds loud in their songs, the leaves of the bushes rustling with animal life.</p><p>Sometimes, animals would enter the clearing, grazing a little before going their own way again. Mostly deer and rabbits, but half-way through the afternoon, a family of unicorns rustled through the foliage and stepped into the clearing — white skin reflecting the sunlight, their manes a wide array of every colour of the rainbow.</p><p>Sora’s mouth fell open as he nudged Riku to get him to look up from the notebook he was writing in.</p><p>As kids, Sora had loved books and stories about unicorns, and he remembered fondly the colouring book he’d gotten for his sixth birthday because it had contained many pictures of unicorns. And now they were right there, in front of him. The largest of the three studied them intently while the little one happily tore into the grass. The third one ate more slowly, but also without a care in the world. When the large unicorn had decided they probably weren’t a threat, it also started grazing.</p><p>Sora smiled widely, looking from the unicorn family to Riku by his side, happy to see Riku was also looking at them in wonder, wide-eyed, his mouth half-open.</p><p>“They’re so beautiful…” Riku exhaled in a whisper, and for long moments they watched together until the unicorns looked up once more and darted back the way they’d come.</p><p>When the unicorns were gone, Sora felt himself tear up. For days now, he’d been unable to feel that magical wonder, the joy at seeing all these wondrous things. He’d seen them, but he hadn’t <em>felt</em> them. And now, in this peaceful moment, it overwhelmed him, that he felt so <em>much</em> again. Happiness, relief, amazement. At Sora’s sob, Riku leaned forward, twisting to bring his hands to Sora’s cheers. The tears spilt over onto his cheeks and Riku’s thumbs, and Riku brushed them away — the way he always did.</p><p>“Hey,” Riku said softly. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>Sora shook his head, trying to smile through his tears. “Nothing’s wrong.”</p><p>“Oh,” Riku said, the worry on his face shifting into something gentler.</p><p>“I’d just forgotten that…that an adventure is also <em>fun</em>. It should also be <em>fun</em>.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Riku said, dropping his hands to lean back against the stone slab again. He brought a hand to his chest, and Sora realised with a jolt he’d probably hurt himself a little, twisting around like that. He brought up his own hand to cover Riku’s and was rewarded with a smile. “Remember what you said back when we first arrived here?”</p><p>“What?” Sora said, brushing the last remaining tears out of his eyes. </p><p>“Our first adventures as boyfriends.”</p><p>The words sent something wild fluttering into Sora’s chest, and his smile grew wider still. “Then we’d better make the most of it… right?”</p><p>“Right,” Riku agreed.</p><p>Sora hadn’t known how much he’d needed a day just to unwind and relax, and by nightfall, he felt almost like himself again. So much, that he debated asking Riku if they should take another day off tomorrow. He knew the things that were at stake, but it was so <em>peaceful</em> here, that in a small way, he regretted ever having to leave. He knew they needed to, but maybe one more day wouldn’t hurt?</p><p>The morning after, Riku looked a little better, although he still moved stiffly. Even when he tried not to show it, Sora could tell he was still in pain.</p><p>After breakfast, Sora spoke up. “We should spend another day here. Recuperate.”</p><p>He’d expected Riku to argue, but Riku nodded. It was a testament to how he was still very much recovering, Sora thought. “I won’t be any good if we come across any more Nightmares like this. Besides...”</p><p>He shot Sora an almost bashful look, and Sora shifted eagerly onto his knees. “Yes?”</p><p>“This is…nice. Spending time here with you. It almost feels like a mini-vacation…” Riku smiled wistfully before adding quickly, “I know it’s not!”</p><p>“It can be,” Sora said, and he couldn’t stop the pout from tugging at his lips. He’d missed this more than he’d realised. Just them, together, talking so easily, feeling…<em>relaxed</em>. “It’s like camping out on the play island, the way we did when we were teens! Do you remember?”</p><p>“Of course I remember, how could I forget. We watched the stars for hours, telling each other stories until you fell asleep.”</p><p>“You fell asleep, too,” Sora shot back.</p><p>“You fell asleep <em>first</em>,” Riku said, his voice a little smug.</p><p>Instead of replying to that, Sora sat back down, hugging his arms around his knees. “I missed this… I missed <em>you</em>.”</p><p>“I’m right here, Sora…” Riku said, smiling over the remains over the cooking pot and the remains of their campfire. Sora smiled back, and Riku’s smile widened, but before they could get <em>really</em> sappy, there was a pop in the air, and then another, and a third one.</p><p>Sora looked up, heart suddenly racing, ready to summon his keyblade to attack if need be. He relaxed when he saw who had arrived; the three good fairies were standing a few feet from them, looking around them in interest before their gazes landed on Sora and Riku.</p><p>“Oh, there you are!” the one dressed in red said (Sora could never remember who was who). “We’ve been looking <em>everywhere</em>.”</p><p>“Yeah, you boys are <em>really</em> hard to find,” the green fairy added.</p><p>“Master Yen Sid warned us, though. He said if you were at the shrine, its magical power might be shielding you from us. And he was right!” The fairy in the blue gown smiled at them. “My name is Merryweather. This is Flora. And this is Fauna.” She pointed at the other two in turn.</p><p>Sora stared, trying to commit the names to memory this time.</p><p>“We have come to bring you news from Master Yen Sid! And Merlin!” Merryweather continued. She was clearly excited. “He said—”</p><p>“Oh, my,” Fauna said, interrupting Merryweather. “What happened to your clothes?”</p><p>Sora followed her gaze, to where Riku’s torn and blood-soaked tunic was lying in the grass, next to the stone. They hadn’t yet gotten rid of it.</p><p>“Oh,” Riku said when he saw what she was looking at. “We were attacked by…a monster, and it tore up my tunic and shirt. Sora gave me his shirt, but he needs something to wear, too, and—”</p><p>“Oh, this won’t do, this won’t do at all,” Flora babbled. “We need to fix this immediately!”</p><p>Sora watched in amusement, not surprised at all when they argued about who got to perform the spell. Flora seemed to have won the argument, and when she waved her wand, Sora looked down at his chest to see a new black shirt underneath his tunic. When he looked up, Riku was wearing a new tunic — only it was <em>pink</em>.</p><p>Riku blushed.</p><p>“Oh dear,” Fauna said, sparks erupting from the end of her wand. “Flora, you can’t always go around giving people pink clothes, you need to <em>ask</em> them first!”</p><p>“But pink is so <em>pretty</em>, Fauna!” Flora exclaimed. “You can’t expect me to give them clothes in any other colour!”</p><p>“Tsk.” Merryweather took a step forward, raising her wand. Sparks flew, and Riku’s new tunic turned to bright blue as Sora watched. “Everyone knows blue is <em>much </em>better than pink.”</p><p>Fauna raised her wand. “Now, stop arguing, you two.” With another beam of light, Riku’s tunic turned the same mossy green it had been before. “His tunic was green, and it shall be green again.” She turned around to stare at Flora and Merryweather in turn. “It’s only reasonable.”</p><p>“Oh, I suppose you’re right,” Flora said as she lowered her wand.</p><p>Merryweather nodded. “Okay, okay.”</p><p>They turned back to Sora and Riku in unison, hurrying closer to them. “Now, we have so much news to bring you!”</p><p>“What is it?” Sora said as the three fairies sat down in the grass across from them.</p><p>“Master Yen Sid came to Kiniro to visit Merlin,” Flora started.</p><p>“And we also went to Kiniro to visit Merlin,” Merryweather interrupted. “We arrived when Merlin and Master Yen Sid were already talking. About very important magic things. But then two people arrived claiming they had seen <em>you</em> in Frigis, the blizzard province, and they had travelled all the way to—”</p><p>“You are <em>so</em> chaotic when you tell stories, Merryweather,” Fauna interrupted. “I'm sure Sora and Riku don't need to hear all the details of who arrived when.”</p><p>Merryweather sent her an exasperated look and crossed her arms. “Fine, you tell it then if you think you can do it better.”</p><p>“No, wait,” Sora said, leaning forward. “Two people arrived from Frigis who said they'd seen us?”</p><p>He shared a look with Riku. There were only two people who that could've been.</p><p>“Oh yes,” Flora said. “Their names were Nim and Maeldin.”</p><p>Riku and Sora let out simultaneous gasps.</p><p>“So they went to find him!” Sora said happily. “They said they knew him from before.”</p><p>Flora smiled brightly, a little playfully. “Oh, they do. Nim is Merlin's <em>sister</em>.”</p><p>“What?” Sora and Riku exclaimed together.</p><p>“But… But Merlin never mentioned that. Nim didn't mention it either!” Sora said indignantly. How many other secrets were being kept from them?”</p><p>“No, well,” Fauna was quick to reassure them. “In the Symphony of Sorcery, not a lot of people know. Merlin is well-known of course, but he's a very mysterious wizard. He likes it like that. To the outside world, he just wants to learn about grand magic and drink tea.”</p><p>“Of course Master Yen Sid knows,” Flora continued. “And now we know, because we were there, too. Merlin and his sister, Queen Ganieda, have very strong magical powers. Nim doesn't, she has very little magic. She became jealous and turned her back on the family when the engagement of her sister to King Rodarch was announced. She became a thief — stealing valuable items and selling them for profit. Later on, she teamed up with Maeldin.”</p><p>“Is he also related to Merlin?” Riku asked drily.</p><p>“No, but they used to be best friends back when they were in sorcery school together. But then there was a terrible accident, and Maeldin drank a poisoned potion. He was never the same after that, and he eventually had to leave school. He became bitter, and then he found Nim. They made a powerful duo.”</p><p>Sora couldn't help but agree. “They sure gave us a run for our money! Twice, actually.”</p><p>“I don't know what you said or did to make them visit Merlin, but Merlin and Master Yen Sid had never expected them to show up. You should have seen their faces!”</p><p>“I've never seen Master Yen Sid so surprised,” Merryweather chuckled.</p><p>“I have…” Riku said with an amused huff and a little glance at Sora.</p><p>Fauna picked up the tale again. “Well, to make a long story short, Nim and Maeldin had something very interesting to tell Merlin. They told him that it was <em>them</em> who had stolen the omni dragon egg from Fantasia Castle in the first place. Can you believe it?”</p><p>“I can…” Sora muttered, but the fairies didn't hear him.</p><p>“And when they stole the egg, Fantasia castle had already been put under a spell. And they had seen who did it, they knew the spell was cast by a <em>Cure dragon</em>.”</p><p>“What?” Riku said, sitting up straighter.</p><p>“The missing dragon Master Yen Sid told us about?” Sora asked.</p><p>Merryweather nodded solemnly. “We don't know why, but we think he's the cause of all of this.”</p><p>“Oh wow,” Sora said softly.</p><p>“But don't you boys worry about all that now.” Flora waved her hands. “Master Yen Sid told us to come and find you to give you this news. He and Merlin are working very hard to gather the witched and wizards so we can all fight when the baby dragon is born. When the dragon is born, you just need to bring him or her to the castle, so we can try and break the spell.”</p><p>“And when the spell is broken, hopefully, the curse will be lifted,” Merryweather added. “In the meantime, we three are going to find as many dragons as we can, and tell them to come and meet us at the castle for the final battle.”</p><p>“It's all coming together then,” Riku said softly, bringing a hand to his chest. Sora watched him with worried eyes. Riku may be feeling better, but he still wasn’t <em>healed</em>. Suddenly, a thought struck him.</p><p>“Merryweather, Flora, Fauna!”</p><p>“Yes, Sora?”</p><p>“Can you do Cure magic?” Sora asked eagerly. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of this before.</p><p>“But of course!” Flora said. “All fairies learn Cure magic in school.”</p><p>“Can you heal Riku? He was injured, and we weren’t able to heal him completely. He’s still in pain.”</p><p>“Oh, but of course!” The three fairies stood in unison and lifted their wands. “Cure!”</p><p>Flashes of green light erupted from their wands, and a familiar magenta-coloured lotus appeared above their heads. Green vines and sparks swirled around them, and then towards Riku. Sora watched as Riku relaxed visibly, pressing two hands to his chest.</p><p>“That ought to do it!” Fauna said happily.</p><p>“Thank you,” Riku said. “I feel much better.”</p><p>“Take the day off,” Flora told them gently. “It looks like you have had a rough time. Merlin and Master Yen Sid will make sure the curse doesn't spread too far. You boys heal up for tomorrow and the rest of your journey.”</p><p>Sora nodded gratefully, then waved goodbye as the faeries disappeared with three little pops again. He crawled the few feet around the fire to Riku's side.</p><p>“Can I see?”</p><p>Riku nodded, unbuttoning the top part of his tunic and then lifting up his shirt. As Sora had hoped, the wound was completely gone; only a thin line of scar tissue remained. With a cry of joy, he wrapped his arms around Riku's shoulders, squeezing him as close as possible now he no longer needed to worry about the wound. Immediately, Riku hugged him back, pulling Sora into his lap. Sora clung tighter, nuzzling his face into Riku’s neck.</p><p>“You're okay, Riku,” he whispered.</p><p>“I'm okay,” Riku said softly.</p><p><br/>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading!!! Now that our boys are mostly okay again, I hope we can all rest a little easier? ;)</p><p>If you liked, please leave a kudos and/or a comment!! &lt;3333</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am SO sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up... We were wrapping up zine things and then other things were a little more important for a bit... But we're back in business!!</p><p>The good news is that the rest of the chapters are all but done, and should be going up within the week! Thank you all for your patience!!! &lt;33333</p><p>As always, please enjoy some bonus Tyrsat art by the amazing <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a> and ahhh I'm so excited, the final illustration by my wonderful friend <a href="https://twitter.com/KeyKidRetto">Retto</a> who REALLY outdid themselves this time!!!!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The five-day journey from the cure shrine to Igneous, the fire province, was somehow simultaneously uneventful <em>and</em> interesting. </p><p>Uneventful, because most of the Nightmares seemed to have vanished after the Spellican’s defeat (or, alternatively, moved on to somewhere else, but Riku didn’t like to think about that option too hard). </p><p>And interesting, because Sora was once more full of energy. It was maybe not quite as boundless as the first days here; there was now an underlying tone of melancholy inside of Sora that Riku remembered all too well from the time that he searched for Aqua while Sora searched for his power of waking. But something had slotted back into place inside of Sora after their emotional talks at the cure shrine. </p><p>Riku didn’t even need to <em>look</em> at Sora to know, he could feel it reverberating inside of him, like the humming of a melody only he could hear. (Of course, Riku still looked anyway because Sora was always worthy of his attention.)</p><p>Right now, Sora wasn’t walking along the forest trail beside Riku, but off towards the right side, skipping from rock to fallen tree branch with the egg tucked away in the bag on his back. His arms were out to the sides for balance, his eyes squinting against the bright rays of sunshine whenever he looked back towards Riku every few steps, as if to check Riku was still looking at him.</p><p>He needn’t have worried.</p><p>Walking here through the lush forest, <em>together</em>, Riku felt like he was finally able to breathe again. He hadn’t realised how affected he’d been by Sora being so sad and unable to talk about his feelings — not until the noise between them had disappeared and they <em>connected</em> again, as before.</p><p>He’d sensed it, of course, the exact moment Sora had started slipping into his own head back in the school of sorcery; his grief when the magnitude of what they were doing finally hit, the knowledge that he was once again losing strength, losing parts of himself. As always, Riku had tried to support Sora the way he had taught himself how to. By staying strong and being by Sora’s side. By holding him and brushing his tears away when he cried. By protecting him in battle.</p><p>But it hadn’t been enough. </p><p>Sora was always loud in all his emotions, his heart so close to the surface. But while Sora was getting better at understanding his feelings, often he still had trouble sorting them all out enough to talk about them. And while it was Riku’s job to support Sora, also in this, he’d not done a very <em>good </em>job this time… Because he, too, had struggled with putting his sadness into words, especially since he didn’t want to burden Sora with it.</p><p>And so once again, Riku being unable to talk about his feelings had caused <em>both</em> of them pain.</p><p>Riku sighed, mentally pushing away the voices that made him be so hard on himself. It wasn’t what he wanted to tell himself, not anymore, and he was also sure it wasn’t what <em>Sora</em> would tell him.</p><p>Sora would say—</p><p>“Hey, Riku! Look at me!” </p><p>Sora was standing on a fallen tree, smiling brightly, waving his arms above his head. When he saw Riku’s gaze back upon <em>him</em>, he braced himself before jumping over to an oak tree close by and doing a backflip off it. He soared backwards through the air, landing neatly on two feet next to Riku.</p><p>Riku’s eyes widened in shock — and possibly admiration — as Sora beamed up at him.</p><p>“You’re still wearing the backpack, you know,” Riku blurted without thinking, his heart racing a little. “What if you’d <em>fallen</em>?”</p><p>Sora’s grin didn’t waver though, which alone proved to Riku that he really was feeling better. A less confident Sora would’ve faltered at his hastily spoken words.</p><p>“Weeks of searching for all these magical shrines to let the rarest of all dragon eggs hatch, and you could’ve broken it because you backflipped off a <em>tree</em>.”</p><p>Sora’s grin only widened. “But didn’t I look cool doing it?”</p><p>Riku put a hand on his hip and gave a little huff, but he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from turning up. Sora’s radiant smiles always had that effect on him. Besides, while they could tease each other again now that they were back on the same page, it didn’t feel right, somehow, to push it now. Their almost-fight and Riku’s almost-sacrifice had left both of them a little soft, a little fuzzy around the edges. He couldn’t summon any of his customary snark.</p><p>“Okay, yeah,” Riku admitted. “You looked cool doing it.”</p><p>Sora’s face lit up at the praise, and he leaned up eagerly for a kiss, which Riku gladly gave him. Recently, Riku had started to notice how Sora always soared under any praise, and he’d made a mental note to tell him good things more often.</p><p>When Riku meant to pull away after a quick brush of lips, Sora followed his mouth, going up on his tiptoes and clutching at Riku’s shoulder. In response, Riku’s arms went around Sora’s waist naturally, fingers tightening in Sora’s tunic as Sora kissed him again, deeper this time, slower, and Riku chased the soft, eager noises that caught in Sora’s throat. Sora’s mouth was hot and wet, and Riku felt tingles spread all across his body the longer the kiss went on. The lack of air made him dizzy, but he still found the strength to pull Sora closer, their bodies slotting together perfectly.</p><p>It was a shame the kiss had to end because Riku didn’t think he could ever get <em>enough</em> of this. Their bodies as close as they could get, Sora just as greedy for it as he was, moaning a little, his fingers curling almost painfully against Riku’s shoulders. The tingles turned to heat in his stomach, and it made Riku wish for a moment that they were back in the Tower, with all the time in the world, because he wanted to kiss Sora like this for <em>hours</em>.</p><p>But the kiss did have to end, and they had places to go, so Riku pulled away through the haze in his head. They were both left breathing hard, their eyes a little cloudy as they smiled at each other for a minute, catching their breath. Riku reached out to smooth a hand through Sora’s hair, getting a few twigs and leaves out of them in the process.</p><p>He stepped back, still smiling, only for Sora to say, “Oh, wait!” and reach into his tunic pocket and present Riku with a handful of blueberries.</p><p>“For you! I picked them earlier. They’re not as tasty as the ones we had in Frigis, but they’re still good.”</p><p>Riku held out both hands, palms up, so Sora could drop the berries in them. He’d just popped the first few fruits in his mouth, when Sora spoke up again, casually.</p><p>“Hey Riku, how do you feel about becoming parents?”</p><p>For a second, Riku panicked, no idea what Sora was talking about, thoughts going in every which direction. <em>Parents?!</em> In the next second, he choked on his swallow, coughing as the blueberries tried to go down the wrong way. Sora gently slapped between his shoulder blades until his breathing was back under control.</p><p>“What?!” Riku managed to choke out once he stopped coughing..</p><p>“Our baby dragon!” Sora replied, words bright despite the slightly concerned frown crinkling his forehead.</p><p><em>Oh.</em> Riku exhaled slowly.</p><p>“Sora, the dragon is not <em>our</em> baby.”</p><p>Sora tilted his head, popping another handful of blueberries in his mouth. “It kinda is. We’re giving it our magic.”</p><p>Well, that was true. But he’d not thought about it like that… He’d been too preoccupied with their quest and Sora and his own feelings about giving up his magic powers. </p><p>But now Sora had planted the idea into his head; they were going to have to look after a <em>baby dragon</em>. They were going to be like…surrogate parents at least. The thought made something hot and heavy squirm in Riku’s stomach. He shoved the last of the blueberries into his mouth to try and prevent himself from thinking about it too much. They were barely able to look after <em>themselves</em> here, how were they going to look after a <em>baby dragon</em>?</p><p>“Hey.” </p><p>Riku lifted his head at Sora’s voice, finding comfort in the way Sora’s hands cupped his face, and he forced himself to look into those blue, blue eyes.</p><p>“Don’t panic,” Sora continued. “It’s gonna be okay. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Riku shook his head. “It’s okay. It’s just…a lot, you know?”</p><p>“Yeah…” Sora said. “It’s a lot. But we can do it. I believe in you, Riku!”</p><p>At that, Riku huffed out a little laugh. “Well, when you put it like that.” He brought up his hands to cover Sora’s. “And I believe in you, so…”</p><p>“So we’ll be fine!”</p><p>Riku gave a brief nod, and their hands came together as they started walking the remaining miles to the border.</p><p>When the forest gave way to open terrain, Riku gasped, though he shouldn’t have been surprised — it was the <em>fire</em> province after all. But the land in front of them was steeped in rugged slopes and ridges and half a dozen volcanoes as far as they could see. One of the volcanoes, a little further away, was spewing thick white-grey smoke that drifted west-wards across a bright blue, cloud-filled sky.</p><p>The path that continued from where they’d come out of the forest was grey and rocky, a difference like night and day from the lush and green place they’d come from. Still, the landscape wasn’t all grey and solidified lava. Towards their left and right, there were also meadows of green grass, and far in the distance, Riku could see a hint of what looked to be woodland.</p><p>“Wow…” Sora uttered.</p><p>“Yeah…” Riku replied.</p><p>Sora turned to him with a smile that was equal parts amazed and wistful. “Let’s go?”</p><p>Riku nodded. They stepped across the border hand in hand, and Riku was surprised to find that the air here wasn’t as hot as he’d expected for a province of fire. Rather, the temperature was much like that of a pleasant summer day. Also, at a second glance, the place wasn’t as devoid of life as he’d imagined either. </p><p>There were snakes scuffling along the path, hiding underneath rocks as they walked past. As he watched, the snakes magically changed colour — green to blue to lavender. In the distance, they could see a herd of wild reindeer. And when Riku looked up and towards their left, there were magical fiery creatures in the air, floating blobs off about an inch in diameter that gave off a deep orange glow.</p><p>He nudged Sora, and they watched the spectacle together — the glowing blobs dancing, drifting in the light breeze. Sora held out his free arm, and two of the magical creatures came to rest on his palm, at which Sora let out a delighted laugh.</p><p>“Riku, look!”</p><p>Riku let go of Sora’s hand so he could wrap an arm around his waist instead, and Sora leaned into him easily, as if they had been doing this all their lives. In a way, maybe they had. The blobs drifted off, the light they gave off pulsing in little waves.</p><p>When Sora looked back at Riku, Riku couldn’t help himself, he leaned down for another kiss.</p><p>“I’m… glad that we’re okay,” Riku muttered against his lips when they pulled apart. “And that we’re here together.”</p><p>“Me too,” Sora said, earnestly, honestly. “I love you, Riku. So much.”</p><p>“I love you too, Sora,” Riku said, leaning in again to briefly press his lips to Sora’s forehead.</p><p>“Yeah?” Sora asked, keen amusement in his voice. “So tell me. Exactly how <em>much</em> do you love me?”</p><p>“Hmmm,” Riku hummed, stepping back to hold his hands about a foot away from each other. “This much?”</p><p>“Riku!” Sora giggled, then laughed as Riku moved his hands a little further apart.</p><p>“Or this much?”</p><p>Sora lifted his gaze and pointed up to the moon, which was a bright half-circle in the late-afternoon sky. “Well, I win then, cos I love you to the moon and back.”</p><p>“Oh,” Riku said, dropping his hands. Sora turned back to him, a smug little smile on his lips, both hands on his hips.</p><p>“Beat that.”</p><p>“Okay,” Riku grinned because he never turned down a good challenge. “I love you so much that I became your Dream Eater, so we would never have to be apart ever again and can have adventures in every realm, including the Sleeping Realm.”</p><p>Sora blushed — <em>blushed</em>, it had been a while since he’d seen that — and ducked his head, stepping forward to lean his forehead against Riku’s shoulder. “Rikuuuuuuu!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You can’t just <em>say</em> stuff like that!”</p><p>Riku bumped his hip against Sora’s, not hard enough to make him stumble, but still enough to make Sora look up at him. He smiled. “You asked.”</p><p>Sora was still blushing, his freckles standing out against bright pink cheeks. But he also looked pleased, basking in Riku’s attention, Riku’s praise. It was a good look on him, Riku thought. He reached out to lightly ruffle Sora’s hair.</p><p>But then, before Sora could respond, a shrill cry echoed through the sky, and both of them looked up in alarm. But instead of Nightmares or other enemies, they saw—</p><p>“Tyrsat!” Sora called out, as they saw the dragon they’d met on the Destiny Islands at the beginning of their journey swoop closer.</p><p>
  <em>Hello! I found you!</em>
</p><p>Sora laughed out loud, so relieved and contagious that Riku couldn’t help but join in. When Tyrsat landed — a little less than graceful, stumbling on the stony path — Sora moved forward immediately and threw his arms around the young dragon’s neck.</p><p>“You’re here! Do you live here? This is your home, right?”</p><p><em>Fire province</em>.<em> Igneous</em>.</p><p>Riku could feel the pride in his words, the contented feeling sweeping over him passionately. He stepped forward, too, and Tyrsat bowed his neck to touch his dark-red snout to the top of Riku’s head.</p><p>“How did you find us?” Riku asked, reaching up a hand of his own to touch the soft fur of the dragon’s neck, carefully avoiding his horns — which looked rather sharp.</p><p>
  <em>Feel. Magic.</em>
</p><p>“You could feel our magic?” Sora asked. “Yeah, we do still have our fire magic… Hey, Tyrsat, you were right! After you gave us the egg, we travelled all over the world! And look!”</p><p>Sora let go of Tyrsat to take off the backpack. He set it down on the ground and kneeled to zip it open. With careful hands, he took out the egg and handed it to Riku.</p><p>“It’s gotten all warm and strong,” Sora said as Riku held up the egg for Tyrsat to look at. “We had to cast all sorts of spells on it, and every time we did, it got more powerful. Now there’s only one left.”</p><p><em>Fire</em>.</p><p>“Yeah, the fire shrine,” Riku nodded. Tyrsat touched his snout to the egg, nuzzling it a little before giving it a lick with his tongue. As he did, Riku felt the baby dragon inside the egg move, and he gasped. “Sora!”</p><p>Riku lowered the egg, and Sora stepped forward to place his hands against the shell alongside Riku’s. At Sora’s touch, the egg moved again, the shell pulsating against their hands.</p><p>“Ohhhh,” Sora laughed, looking up at Riku with a blinding smile. “It’s like it’s kicking!”</p><p><em>A boy</em>.</p><p>Tyrsat sounded happy, he <em>felt</em> happy, and that feeling flowed into Sora and Riku in return.</p><p>“A boy?” Sora whispered, stroking his thumbs across the eggshell. “He’s almost ready to be born, then…”</p><p><em>Come</em>. </p><p>Tyrsat spread his wings, ruffling them, shaking them out in little ripples.</p><p>“You’ll guide us? To the shrine?” Sora asked.</p><p><em>Cannot carry. Guide</em>. <em>Come!</em></p><p>Tyrsat took to the skies and immediately flew off in the direction of the smoke-spewing volcano.</p><p>“He’s too small to carry us,” Riku mumbled as they watched the young dragon soar through the skies. He tumbled and twisted, showing off his flying skills.</p><p>“No matter,” Sora said cheerfully, taking the egg back from Riku. “We can walk.”</p><p>They followed Tyrsat west to a hidden cave in the hillside, which they reached just before sundown. The cave was large enough for all three of them and would provide ample shelter during the night. Once again, they hadn’t come across any Nightmares at all, something that was starting to make Riku uneasy — where had they <em>gone</em>? </p><p>But before he could worry too much, Sora took his hand — warm, calloused palms sliding together effortlessly, and he relaxed again. One thing at a time. In the distance, they could see the volcano they were making for with its white-grey smoke illuminated in the red rays of the setting sun.</p><p>
  <em>Shrine, tomorrow.</em>
</p><p>“Yeah,” Sora said. “We need to rest now. We had a long journey. Riku even got hurt a few days ago.”</p><p>“I’m fine now,” Riku said automatically, which made Sora turn to him. He pointed a finger at Riku’s chest.</p><p>“You’re still resting up,” he said sternly, his eyes narrowing. Then, his hand pressed flat against Riku’s chest, fingers splayed over his heart. “No argument.”</p><p>“I know,” Riku said. “I will.”</p><p>Tyrsat tilted his head, looking from Sora to Riku and back again curiously. </p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>  
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  <p>-- Art by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a></p>
</div><p>Eventually, he exhaled a hot breath of air and settled down, curling into a half-moon just outside the cave entrance with a rush of confusion that Riku felt deep inside of him.</p><p>“Hey, Tyrsat,” Sora asked as they set to work making their camp inside the cave, Riku lighting a fire with a small spell — for what was maybe the last time, he realised with a jolt — as Sora prepared the cooking gear. “Do you have any family? Where are they?”</p><p>
  <em>Mom. Fryphir.</em>
</p><p>“Oh, your mom is called Fryphir?” Sora chatted as he started unpacking the last of their lentils and vegetables. “That’s a beautiful name.”</p><p>Riku pulled out the notebook — a little dirty and frayed around the edges after being carried around for weeks now — and settled down in front of the fire for his daily ritual. He knew better than to offer Sora help with his cooking. Sora would only say he had it covered. If he needed anything, he’d ask.</p><p>Tyrsat shuffled closer, moving into the cave with them and filling in the last of the remaining space inside. Riku looked up at him as he stared at the fire and the cooking pot with curiosity.</p><p>“Where’s your mother now?” Riku asked.</p><p>
  <em>Finding other fire dragons. We go to the castle.</em>
</p><p>“Oh,” Sora said as he started cutting up the potatoes and the carrots. “Don’t you have to go with them?”</p><p>
  <em>Help you.</em>
</p><p>“You wanted to help us? Thank you… It would’ve been hard to find the shrine on our own. I don’t think many people live here.”</p><p>
  <em>Not many people.</em>
</p><p>“I can understand why,” Riku said dryly, which was met with something like a glare from Tyrsat. Riku held up his hands. “I’m sorry! We really like it here. Don’t we, Sora?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah! It looks like a wonderful province.”</p><p>Tyrsat settled down again, resting his head on his front paws as he watched Sora dump the vegetables into the cooking pot with a flask full of water and the lentils before hanging the pot over the fire.</p><p>“So, eh,” Riku started again, glancing out the cave opening to the volcanoes in the distance. “I don’t suppose the fire shrine is at the foot of the volcano, huh?”</p><p>Immediately, a telepathic image showed in his head; a long-winded, steep rocky path upwards, thick smoke trailing across it in wisps. The image was so strong Riku could <em>smell</em> the sulfur in the air, hear the rumbling of the volcano underneath.</p><p>“Figures,” Riku exhaled as the image faded away.</p><p>“Aw, Riku,” Sora said as he filled their bowls with stew and settled at Riku’s side to eat. “That’s what makes this an adventure!”</p><p>And Riku thanked every lucky star in existence that Sora had found his drive for adventure again.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>The next day, they made good progress across the rough terrain. The landscape in Igneous was greatly varied; they passed grassy meadows with pools and hot springs, steaming lava fields, canyons and waterfalls, all in a day’s walk. Tyrsat was a great guide, flying ahead, but never too far that they couldn’t see him.</p><p>Riku kept his hands tugged on the backpack’s straps, letting the hot weight of the egg against his back reassure him. Sora stayed close by his side.</p><p>To fill the time during their walk, they talked: about the egg, about the baby dragon, about Master Yen Sid and Merlin and the castle. About the things they’d learned, the things they’d done, the things they still had to do. About how they <em>felt</em> and about what would happen after it was all over.</p><p>“When we wake up,” Sora wondered out loud. “Do you think there’s a possibility we will still have our magic in the real world?</p><p>“Probably not,” Riku said wistfully. “The last time we were in the Sleeping Realm, we received our grand magic here. And when we woke up, we still had it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the reverse is also true…”</p><p>He didn’t really allow himself to linger on it too much, but the empty feeling of being without magic reminded him of the very first time he’d been in the Realm of Darkness. Back then, he’d also lost parts of himself: light and love and happiness. The feeling of losing his magic was nearly as profound; it left a void in his chest that his body was straining hard to close around.</p><p>He wondered briefly if this is how Nobodies had felt without their hearts.</p><p>But the Nobodies had healed, by growing new hearts. And Riku knew he’d be okay, too. In a way, he was looking forward to the last trial, because then at least, the physical pain of losing their magic would be over, and they could start to heal for good.</p><p>The idea of never using magic again was sad, but he’d manage, the way he’d managed to overcome everything else that life had thrown at him — even in the Realm of Darkness when he’d been lonely and sad and <em>young</em>. All of it had made him stronger, it had made him who he was now. It had brought him closer to Sora.</p><p>And he believed in himself now. He believed in <em>Sora</em>. Sora, who felt the same sadness and the same pain, who struggled in the same way, who <em>needed</em> him.</p><p>Sora, who was there for him the way he was there for Sora. Who took his hand every time Riku needed <em>him</em>.</p><p>Riku was startled out of his thoughts when Tyrsat flew closer to them and started talking proudly about his homeland.</p><p>Although his speech wasn’t fully developed because he was a young dragon, Sora and Riku were able to understand everything he communicated. He spoke of the history of Igneous, how it was the oldest province, tied the closest to Fantasia. How ancient stories told of fire magic being the most important magic, the magic that gave the Symphony of Sorcery life. How there were over fifty volcanoes in this province, most of them still active.</p><p>It was inspiring, the way Tyrsat spoke so proudly of his home. It made Riku realise once again that they were doing all of this to save the Symphony of Sorcery and everyone in it.</p><p>All in all, the day passed quickly, and the volcano they were making for rapidly came closer. They made it there just before nightfall and at the foot of it, Sora and Riku turned to look at each other at the same time.</p><p>“We should rest and do the trial tomorrow…” Riku said, but the words came out more hesitantly than he wanted. Now that they were here, at the final shrine, he just wanted to get it over with.</p><p>“Yeah, we should…” Sora answered slowly, and Riku knew that he felt the same way.</p><p>They looked up at the smoking volcano and the blackened gravel path leading up the mountain. It was a magnificent sight. Even with the sun going down, casting orange rays across the landscape, it wasn’t getting dark at all. More of those magical glowing blobs drifted through the air around them, gathering close to them as if they were curious who these strangers were that had come to this sacred place.</p><p>Tyrsat landed next to them and followed their gaze towards the top of the volcano.</p><p>“How far to the shrine?” Sora asked, barely a whisper.</p><p>
  <em>Not far. Two hours. For you.</em>
</p><p>“Sora, do you wanna…” Riku started, then trailed off.</p><p>Sora turned to him, wordlessly wrapping his arms around Riku’s waist in a tight embrace and pressing close. Sora always knew just what he needed, and it was both scary and comforting, to feel <em>seen</em> like this. It used to be different, but these days, Riku <em>liked </em>feeling seen by Sora. Even though it was both a blessing and a curse.</p><p>A blessing, because Sora always knew when Riku needed a hug or just a little brush of fingers.</p><p>A curse, because feeling seen meant… feeling <em>seen</em>.</p><p>But he’d promised to let Sora protect him, look after him, just as every part of him wanted nothing more than to look after <em>Sora</em>. And really, maybe it wasn’t even a curse that Sora saw him so completely; perhaps it was just a blessing one-hundred percent, because while Riku had figured out a lot of things about himself, the fact that <em>Sora</em> knew him so effortlessly now, too, made his throat tighten hotly.</p><p>He hugged Sora back, arms locked tightly around Sora’s shoulders as he buried his face in Sora’s hair. It smelled like sweat and smoke with a tiny hint of sulfur, but it was the best smell in all the worlds. Sora melted against him, and Riku once again marvelled at how <em>small</em> he felt in his arms, but how much strength Riku knew he carried, physically and mentally. Riku also knew — he’d known for years now — that he would do anything to protect him, to keep him from harm, to take all of his pain and sadness.</p><p>It wasn’t rare for his love for Sora to overwhelm him like this, but right now he trembled with it, and all he could do to stop the stingy feeling behind his eyelids was holding Sora closer, curling himself all around him. Sora gasped a little, a tiny sound, and Riku nuzzled Sora’s hair in response.</p><p>He knew now firsthand how Sora must have felt after losing his powers before, after the pod, after the Mark of Mastery — and more recently, in Shibuya. It made him sad that Sora was undergoing this for the fourth time now, but strangely <em>glad</em> that at least this time, Riku got to share the experience with him. Be here, right at his side.</p><p>“I love you,” he said so fiercely he surprised himself, with tears in his eyes that no one saw. “Sora, I would do <em>anything</em> for you.”</p><p>Sora pulled back then, and Riku reluctantly loosened his hold so Sora could reach up and cup his cheeks. “I know.”</p><p>“Even without any magic, you’re everything to me. I hope you know that. I’ll tell you as many times as you need until you believe me.”</p><p>The glowing blobs drifted around them, illuminating them in a magical orange glow. Riku’s eyes were on Sora only, but he felt a peaceful comfort as Tyrsat lay down a few steps away from them, letting them have a moment.</p><p>“I believe you,” Sora smiled softly, a fondness in his eyes that Riku wanted to drown in forever. “I love you, too. I know you’re sad to give our magic up too.”</p><p>Sora let go of him, lowering his hands between them to create a tiny flame in his palms. They both looked at it, knowing it was the last time they would ever be able to do anything like this. But with Sora here, close, Sora who <em>loved</em> him — it still felt like a dream sometimes — Sora who looked at him with the same softness as he looked at Sora… He knew they’d be okay. They had both gotten <em>so</em> strong.</p><p>Riku dropped one hand to touch Sora’s and the little flame he was cupping in his palms. Then, Sora raised his hands to the skies and let the flame go. They watched as it soared away into the breeze, a few of the magical blobs following it through the air, bouncing around it.</p><p>“Riku?” Sora took an audible deep breath and waited for Riku’s eyes to find his again before he continued. “How did you find the strength to keep going? When you were in the Realm of Darkness? Or when you were alone for so long?”</p><p>Slowly, subconsciously, Riku felt his face slip into a soft smile. “I found something to fight for.”</p><p>Sora’s eyes flicked to the side and down to the ground. “Something to fight for… With all my heart…”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Sora looked back up. “It’s something I learned from Hercules once. When you want to save something with all your heart. That’s when you find your strength.”</p><p>“Strength to protect what matters,” Riku said softly, brushing a few strands of hair away from Sora’s forehead. “What do you want to fight for?”</p><p>“You,” Sora said wholeheartedly, reaching out with his right hand to take Riku’s left.</p><p>“Sora…” Riku whispered, in awe.</p><p>Sora shrugged, adorably bashful all of a sudden. He stepped forward to tip his forehead against Riku’s chest, and Riku’s hand moved to cup the back of his head. “And the baby dragon. And the Symphony of Sorcery. And the power of magic. My friends. Our friends.”</p><p>“That’s a lot to fight for. I know you’ll be strong for all of that.”</p><p>“Riku,” Sora mumbled, his voice going lower now, so Riku had to strain to hear him. “I’ve been afraid for so long, that without my powers… I’m just a dorky guy who wants everyone to be happy.”</p><p>“Sora, you’re the most incredible person I know. You’ve been knocked down so many times, yet every time, you get back up. You’ve given all of yourself, time and again, to fight for the worlds, for the light, for me, for us. For all of our friends. And you never once asked for anything in return.”</p><p>Sora sneaked his arms around Riku’s waist now in a proper hug. “Cause that’s what I wanna do. I wanna help people. I wanna make people happy.”</p><p>“You’re a good person, Sora. Your light shines so brightly that it’s made me want to be stronger, better, too.”</p><p>“I’m still a little sad, but…” Sora looked up, bringing his hands around to entangle in the front of Riku’s tunic. “When I’m with you, I feel braver. Stronger.”</p><p>“That’s still all you,” Riku said, remembering all too vividly how Sora had once broken down over only feeling strong when he was with his friends.</p><p>“I know…” Sora said, smiling. “You taught me that. And I think, in the end, I could learn to live without magic, too. Because we saved the worlds <em>together</em>. Everyone else, all our friends, will still have their magic, because of us. And that’s a comforting thought.”</p><p>“You were right, you know,” Riku said softly, a tiny smile playing on his lips. “You are also just a dorky guy who wants everyone to be happy.”</p><p>Sora’s face slipped into a pout so fast Riku blinked, then chuckled.</p><p>“But I love you for it. With all my heart.”</p><p>“And I love <em>you</em>. With all my heart, too.”</p><p>Riku kissed him softly a few times, sweet and simple, their lips gently brushing. Sora wrapped his arms around Riku’s neck and leaned up, kissing back — love, reassurance and a promise all in one.</p><p>When Riku pulled back, they both sighed. “Let’s do this, okay?”</p><p>Sora nodded. “Okay.”</p><p>They walked up the volcano in the glow of twilight, Tyrsat soaring in the air above them. All three of them were quiet, lost to their thoughts, and the only sounds were the rush of the wind around them and the rumbling of the volcano below them. Tyrsat answered their silent question for them.</p><p>
  <em>No worry. It is safe.</em>
</p><p>It was completely dark by the time they came to the shrine, but the magical glowing blobs that accompanied them illuminated the path so they never stumbled.</p><p>They were used to the sight by now; a circle of dark stones evenly spaced apart on a rocky plateau near the top. Tyrsat landed just outside the circle, off the path, and Riku felt his excitement — and his worry, too. </p><p>Riku had thought he would be sad, knowing that this was <em>it</em>, but he felt oddly peaceful instead. He took off the backpack and brought the egg to the centre of the shrine.</p><p>He’d planned on doing the spell himself — Sora had done the previous one, after all — but when he stepped back to just outside the circle of stones, Sora came up to his side and took his hand.</p><p>“We should do it together.”</p><p><em>Of course</em>. Why hadn’t they thought of this before? In a way, they <em>had</em> done all of the trials together, calling on each other’s magic, letting it flow through the Dream Eater link and into the spells they cast. They’d sort of done the thunder trial together for real, but not standing side by side like this. Now, Riku felt strong and determined. He squeezed Sora’s hand.</p><p>Wordlessly, they summoned their keyblades; Braveheart and Ultima, raised to the skies together.</p><p>“Ready, Sora?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Sora said, and Riku was proud to hear the determination in his voice.</p><p>“Fire!” They called together.</p><p>Two massive fireballs erupted from their keyblades, dancing around each other, higher and higher into the sky. They swirled so fast they appeared almost as one, a bright orb of fire that illuminated everything around them. Riku felt the magic leaving him, felt it feeding into the two orbs that swelled until they were the size of rowboats. </p><p>Riku gasped around the pain, clenching Sora’s hand tighter when he heard Sora’s echoing moan. It was a struggle to remain standing, to keep his keyblade held high, but it helped, doing this together. He knew Sora was feeling the same, and Sora was still standing, so he would be able to do this too.</p><p>The next moment, the last of the fire magic rushed out of him, leaving an ache in his chest. His keyblade disappeared, and they watched, together, as their balls of fire spun and crashed right into the middle of the shrine. From the fire, a soaring column of flames erupted that spun and spun, trapping the egg inside. </p><p>Riku was breathing hard, forcing his eyes to stay locked on the scene in front of them. Sora watched too, one hand against his chest. Tyrsat wordlessly watched with them.</p><p>And just as suddenly as the fire had come, it disappeared, leaving Riku blinking into the sudden darkness. His legs felt weak with residue adrenaline, and Sora’s hand in his was the only thing that kept him from falling over.</p><p>When his sight came back, the first thing he saw was Sora’s tearful face, but Riku knew immediately that he wasn’t sad, not <em>really. </em>There was a look of wonder there, his eyes shining in the orange light around them. With Sora safe — and as okay as could be — he looked back towards the egg.</p><p>It was lying on the stone slate in the centre of the shrine as if nothing had happened. They watched, still breathing hard as Riku felt the pain inside of him slowly subsiding. And then, the egg wobbled a little. </p><p>This was it. This was what they’d endured all of this for… </p><p>“Sora…”</p><p>But Sora was already moving forwards, tugging Riku with him, and they stumbled between two of the shrine’s stones hand in hand. Sora only let go when he dropped to his knees by the egg, reaching out both arms, but then thinking better of it. Instead, he reached for Riku again, pulling him down so they were on their knees on the ground together. The egg moved, rocking a little back and forth. The shell — bright dark blues and purples sparkling — seemed to light up as the fire blobs danced around them. Tyrsat came to stand next to them, leaning in closer to see what was happening. For long minutes, the egg continued to move around.</p><p>Then there came the sound of a crack, and then another. As they watched, a long fracture appeared across the shell, webbing out. Another crack appeared, and a small fragment fell off.</p><p>“He’s hatching…” Riku mumbled.</p><p>The egg wobbled again, and another fragment fell off, and then another. The feelings of pain and loss inside of Riku were now completely gone, eclipsed by curiosity and excitement — and just a tiny hint of fear. His stomach coiled with the knowledge of what was going to happen.</p><p>A high-pitched chirp came from within the egg, and piece after piece of the dark blue-purple shell fell away until at last, the egg cracked open completely.</p><p>And there, amidst the eggshell fragments, lay a tiny hatchling, about a foot long. He looked like he had fur — colourful like a rainbow — that would be fluffy if it wasn’t covered in the wet sliminess from the egg. He had little yellow horns on a light blue head. His tiny orange legs were folded underneath his pink and purple body, and his eyes were still closed as he shuddered with a spasm. After a moment, he shook his head a little as if to wake himself up completely, letting out another chirping sound. His ears twitched, and then his front paws. </p><p>“Oh, Riku,” Sora exhaled. “He’s <em>beautiful</em>…”</p><p>At the sound of a voice, the hatchling slowly blinked open his eyes, a golden and soft gaze that immediately fixed itself upon the source of the sound: Sora. Sora held out his arms, and the baby dragon chirped again, squirming as he tried to stand on his feet. It took him a few tries, but then he started taking small steps on wobbly, hesitant legs. </p><p>Sora laughed, which made Riku laugh, and the hatchling eagerly stepped forwards, outside of what remained of his egg.</p><p>“He looks so <em>bright, </em>like a rainbow,” Sora said and the newborn dragon advanced another few wobbly steps, looking up into Sora’s face.</p><p>“He does,” Riku agreed, delighted when the baby dragon’s gaze turned to him as well, flicking between him and Sora. </p><p>“Come on,” Sora goaded gently. “You can do it! Just a few more steps.”</p><p>Trembling, the baby dragon took his last few steps before collapsing into Sora’s open arms. Sora immediately cradled the baby close to him, even though his fur was slimy and Sora was getting goo all over his tunic. But he didn’t seem to care in the slightest, his face was soft and gentle as he smiled down at the newborn dragon in his arms. When he looked up at Riku again, Riku wasn’t surprised to see tears in his eyes — tears of happiness this time. It had all been worth it, the pain of every single shrine, just to see this miracle happen.</p><p>The baby dragon coughed, and some wisps of white smoke came out of his mouth, at which both Sora and Riku chuckled.</p><p>Sora shifted closer to Riku, and Riku reached for him carefully so when they hugged, the baby dragon was nestled safe and warm between them. Riku brought one arm down to touch him, wiping away some of the goo still sticking to his skin, and the dragon shuddered with what Riku felt to be contentment. With a yawn, the baby turned around a few times on Sora’s lap before settling down with a low purr. Riku touched him again and felt the rumbling in the dragon fade as he fell asleep. </p><p>“What should we call him?” Sora asked, staring up at Riku with shining eyes.</p><p>“I don’t know… Do you wanna name him?”</p><p>“Yes!” Sora exclaimed, before catching himself, looking down at the hatchling in his arms again. His voice dropped to a whisper. “I’ll think about it.”</p><p>Tyrsat came up to Sora and Riku, curling around them as they settled down to sleep, exhausted now that the last ritual had been performed and they’d <em>done</em> it, the egg had hatched. The hard part was <em>over</em>. </p><p>Riku leaned back against Tyrsat as Sora leaned into his chest, and they fell into a deep sleep.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
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</p><p>The next morning, Riku was woken by high-pitched cries. The first thing he noticed was that Tyrsat had left the area, it was just him and Sora. The second thing was— </p><p><em>Right</em>. </p><p>The baby dragon looked up at Riku almost indignantly when Riku’s gaze fell upon him, opening his mouth and making more of those high-pitched noises in what was a very clear call for food.</p><p>The pitiful cries woke Sora too, who immediately stiffened in Riku’s embrace, only relaxing once he realised what was happening.</p><p>“He’s hungry,” Sora muttered, reaching out a hand to pet the baby dragon’s snout. Instead, the dragon snapped at his hand, enclosing his jaw around Sora’s fingers. Sora yelped. “Hey! That’s not nice! I’m not food!”</p><p>Just in time, Tyrsat landed back in the shrine’s circle, dumping a number of blue and purple (and thankfully <em>dead</em>) snakes on the ground.</p><p>The baby dragon wiggled excitedly between them, letting go of Sora’s hand to turn towards Tyrsat, twittering loudly as he started to move.</p><p>“Well, I’m glad we don’t have to hunt for him, at least,” Riku said dryly, stretching out his stiff limbs. No matter how often they slept outdoors, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to waking up like this.</p><p>When the baby dragon had wobbled over to Tyrsat and the snakes, Sora tipped his head up for a kiss, which Riku granted with a happy hum, slipping his hands in Sora’s hair — matted with dust and dried sweat. Riku didn’t care though, he was more than happy to kiss and touch even a sweaty, dirty Sora. Besides, he knew he probably didn’t look or smell any better. It had been three days since either of them had bathed. </p><p>When Sora pulled away, he shifted himself around in Riku’s arms so he was seated between Riku’s legs, back to chest. His head fell back against Riku’s shoulder as they watched Tyrsat show the baby how to bite into the snakes and chew, then swallow.</p><p>The sun was already fairly high in the cloudy sky above them, and they basked in the warmth of it on their faces.</p><p>“We should get going after breakfast,” Riku said after a few quiet moments. “Make our way towards Fantasia castle and the baby dragon’s parents.”</p><p>“I wanna give him a name before we go. Then we can stop calling him ‘the baby dragon’,” Sora said, reaching back to drape Riku’s arms around his shoulders before sighing happily. “Do you think Dragon names need to follow certain rules? I don’t suppose I can call him Rainbow… Although he does look like one.”</p><p>Riku hummed amusedly. “Well, it’s not as…<em>dragony</em> a name as the other dragons we met.”</p><p>“Oh, I know!” Sora exclaimed, tipping his head back to look up at Riku. “We should name him something in Latin. That always sounds smart.”</p><p>“Okay,” Riku snorted. “I didn’t know you knew Latin. What were you thinking of?”</p><p>“I don’t, but you do! What’s the Latin word for ‘rainbow’?”</p><p>“You’re asking me?”</p><p>“Hey,” Sora said. “Out of the two of us, who took a year of Latin back at school?”</p><p>“That was three years ago,” Riku blurted out, a little surprised Sora even remembered. “And anyway, I don’t think we ever learned the Latin word for ‘<em>rainbow</em>’…”</p><p>“Well, I also know you actually <em>read</em> those books Master Yen Sid gives us to study. They have complicated Latin words.”</p><p>“Some… Not rainbow, though.”</p><p>“Hmmm.” Sora paused for a moment, trying to think of other names for the baby dragon, rolling his sleeves up as he did. “What’s the Latin word for ‘hope’?”</p><p>“Spes,” Riku answered, remembering the word from the book about the ancient Keyblade War and the keyblade wielders of hope.</p><p>“Well, I suppose that’s… okay. But it doesn’t really <em>suit</em> him, do you think?” Sora said, tilting his head to the right as he studied Tyrsat and the baby dragon some more.</p><p>“Says the boy who named his dog Dream Eater <em>Paopu</em>,” Riku teased.</p><p>“Hey! Meow Wow is not a <em>dog</em>. And anyway, at least it’s more original than <em>Komy</em>.” </p><p>Riku could hear Sora’s pout, so he reached a hand down to trail his fingers over Sora’s bare forearm, enjoying Sora’s full-body shiver as he brushed the tiny hairs there. </p><p>When he stilled his hand, his fingers a loose ring around Sora’s wrist instead, Sora relaxed again and continued talking. “Okay, so how about the Latin word for ‘light’?”</p><p>“Lux,” Riku said.</p><p>“Lux,” Sora repeated, testing the sound of the word. “I like that. Short and powerful.”</p><p>They watched the baby dragon eat the last of the snakes, lifting his head with a little whine as he stared at Tyrsat.</p><p><em>Finished</em>.</p><p>“I like Lux,” Riku said softly as Tyrsat began licking the baby dragon, getting rid of the last of the semi-dried egg-fluid from his skin. He started to look more and more like a real dragon now, and less like a ball of wet fur, waving his tail around excitedly while Tyrsat cleaned him.</p><p>“Okay!” Sora said decidedly. “He shall be Lux, the baby omni dragon!”</p><p>As if on cue, Lux turned to them and darted away from Tyrsat and straight into Sora’s arms, where he nuzzled into Sora’s chest with a yawn.</p><p>“Guess this means you’re making breakfast, Riku,” Sora said with a grin way too bright.</p><p>Riku rolled his eyes but got up for the backpack anyway.</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>After breakfast, they set out again with renewed energy. Sora carefully placed a sleeping Lux inside the backpack, the baby dragon’s head leaning against Riku’s shoulder. Riku got to carry the backpack so Sora could watch over him. Not that there was much to watch over because Lux turned out to sleep <em>a lot</em>, which was probably for the best. Riku didn’t want to have to deal with a whiny, bored baby dragon on top of a hyperactive Sora. </p><p>Sora, meanwhile, was rapidly firing off questions at Tyrsat as if he was trying to win an award for gaining the most knowledge about baby dragons within a day.</p><p>“How much do baby dragons sleep?” (<em>A lot.)</em> “How often do they eat?” (<em>Once a day</em>.) “How fast do they grow?” (<em>Very fast</em>.) “How far to the border?” (<em>Not far</em>.)</p><p>Riku listened, looking over his shoulder every now and again to see Lux, still fast asleep, drooling a little on his tunic and making soft snoring noises. Then he’d meet Sora’s eyes and return his giddy, crooked grin.</p><p>When they paused for lunch, Tyrsat played with Lux, chasing him around one of the steamy lava fields while Sora and Riku ate the last of the dried fruits and nuts. They would have to stock up soon. The only food they had left now was half a bag of rice, and some onions and carrots. Luckily, Riku had come to trust Sora’s Moogle-finding skills completely by now.</p><p>Lux stayed awake after lunch, staring from the backpack with wide golden eyes at the glowing blobs that had come back to accompany them. He reached out a paw, trying to catch one, but the blobs were too fast for him, always moving just out of range.</p><p>Just before sundown, they settled down for the night in a small forest, beneath a scattering of pine trees. Riku gathered wood, building a small campfire that he wouldn’t be able to light with magic anymore. The thought didn’t make him as sad as he’d expected. There was mostly relief that it was over now. Their sacrifice was done.</p><p>Also, thankfully, they had a dragon with them who could still perform Fire spells.</p><p>“Tyrsat, can you light the fire for us?” Riku asked, looking towards where Tyrsat and Lux were playing amidst the pine needles, rolling around and sending them flying everywhere.</p><p>
  <em>Yes!</em>
</p><p>Tyrsat came near the pile of branches, with Lux following him closely.</p><p><em>Look, Lux</em>.</p><p>Tyrsat inhaled and paused for a long moment, holding his breath. Tiny flames blazed through the teeth in his half-open jaw. Then, he turned towards Lux and exhaled slowly, a small wave of fire flowing out of his mouth, over the top of Lux’s head.</p><p>Lux jumped up and down gleefully, opening his mouth to mimic Tyrsat, but only a few tiny white puffs of smoke came out. Riku couldn’t really see it, but he <em>felt</em> Tyrsat’s face fall.</p><p>“I’ll leave you to it,” Riku chuckled, settling down with his back against a tree to pull out their journal. He had a lot of things to write about…</p><p>Sora had begun making a Carrot Potage with the last of their ingredients, and he sat next to Riku before he started peeling the vegetables.</p><p>“I’m glad Tyrsat can teach him all of these things… We may have given him our magic powers, but he’s not very good at using them yet…”</p><p>Riku laughed. “I think we should give him some time. He’s not even a day old, yet.”</p><p>“Okay, that’s true,” Sora said as they watched Lux breathe more and more white smoke over the pile of wood. “I should’ve asked Tyrsat how long—”</p><p>Suddenly, with a force that surprised all of them, a bright orange ball of fire came out of Lux’s mouth, engulfing the pile of firewood in flames.</p><p>
  <em>Yes!!!</em>
</p><p>Tyrsat nuzzled into Lux’s side as Sora cheered out loud. Riku smiled, reaching out automatically to brush his fingers over Sora’s warm, soft cheek. Sora’s skin was sooty from the volcano air, and his hair had lost most of its shine, but his eyes and his smile were as bright as ever as he turned to Riku.</p><p>Sora put his own hand on Riku’s thigh in return. “How’re you feeling?”</p><p>Riku pondered the question for a moment. He had expected to feel sad, lost maybe even, without his magic, but instead, he felt… It wasn’t even <em>resignation</em>, it was just a calm acceptance that this was how it was going to be from now on. He’d long learned that there were things outside of his control, things that he couldn’t fight, no matter how much he wanted to. He knew this was one of these things.</p><p>“It feels like…a new beginning,” he started, dropping his hand from Sora’s face to lace their fingers together. “We still have our keyblades. We can learn to be stronger with them. We’ve done more difficult things before.”</p><p>Sora nodded, shifting closer so they were pressed together thigh to shoulder.</p><p>“And you’re here with me,” Riku continued. “I can’t feel sad when you’re here with me.”</p><p>“Sap,” Sora whispered, but Riku heard the unshed tears in his voice.</p><p>Lux was done with staring at the fire in surprise, and he’d gone back to chasing the blobs around the trees. The blobs clearly understood the game, waiting until the last minute to float up, just out of the baby dragon’s reach. Lux tried to jump up to catch them, but instead, he stumbled over his own legs, ending up in a tangle of limbs.</p><p>He whined in indignation.</p><p>Riku laughed. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he takes after you.”</p><p>“Riku!” Sora chastised, knocking into his shoulder. “I take it back. You’re not a sap, you’re just mean.”</p><p>Riku turned to him, unsurprised to see Sora already watching him. They looked at each other for long minutes, a wordless conversation of ‘are you really okay?’ ‘I’m really okay.’ ‘But really, <em>really</em> okay?’ ‘Yes, really, <em>really</em> okay’.</p><p>It ended with Sora nuzzling Riku’s shoulder for a bit before he went back to peeling the carrots.</p><p>“Are you also okay?” Riku asked Sora gently, extending his arms to Lux as he spoke. Lux shook his head in confusion, eyes flicking from the glowing blobs to Riku, and he unsteadily got to his feet. Then he rushed towards Riku.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m okay, too,” Sora said as Lux jumped into Riku’s arms, curling up in a little ball in Riku’s lap. “He’s getting faster already.”</p><p>“He is, isn’t he?” Riku said, and was that… <em>pride</em> in his voice? Huh.</p><p>After dinner, Sora and Riku were both too tired to do anything but find the softest spot amidst the pine needles, a few feet away from the dwindling fire. Tyrsat curled up around them both, and Lux barely stirred as Riku placed him between their bodies. He reached out an arm to draw Sora closer. </p><p>Lux was warm and soft between them, and Sora gazed down at him with such a soft smile that Riku faltered. Then, Sora shifted forwards so his forehead was touching Riku’s, their legs tangling together as well.</p><p>“You know, Riku,” Sora whispered. “It was hard, but… You were there every step of the way. And now Lux is born and okay, and you were right. Hercules was right. Now that I’ve realised, I have something to fight for, with all my heart… I can’t help but think that maybe it was all worth it.”</p><p>“Me too, Sora,” Riku replied just as softly, already half asleep. “Me too.”</p>
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  <p>-- Art by <a href="https://twitter.com/KeyKidRetto">Retto</a></p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you once again for your patience!! I hope the ultra-softness of this chapter made up for it.... And we're nearly at the end now! The next chapter will be LONG and then the last chapter is the epilogue! I hope to have this all posted soon, because I don't wanna keep anyone waiting any longer for the conclusion!! &lt;3</p><p>As always, if you liked, please let me know? :)</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Final Stand-Off</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The penultimate chapter!!! We're so close to the end now!! This is a long one, and I hope you all enjoy!</p><p>The last chapter will be posted this weekend, so keep an eye out for that.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>Majestic</em> was the word that sprang to Riku’s mind now that they’d made it to the top of the mountain on the border and got their first look at Fantasia. Sora came to stand beside him, slipping his hand into Riku’s — warm and more than a little sweaty after the climb across the rocky terrain.</p><p>“Wow,” Sora whistled lowly. “We made it, Riku! It’s <em>Fantasia</em>.”</p><p>Lux chirped loudly, bouncing up and down in the bag on Sora’s back, making Sora sway a little with the movement. Even in just a few days, Lux had already grown a bit, but he still fitted in the backpack-turned-baby-carrier, even if it was a bit of a snug fit.</p><p>“You hear that, Lux? This is your home,” Riku said to him, reaching out to brush a hand over the top of his head. “The omni province. You’re an omni dragon. Your parents are down there somewhere.”</p><p>Although neither of them had figured out yet if Lux was able to understand their words, both he and Sora had developed the habit of talking to Lux. He definitely <em>reacted </em>to what they said, tilting his head in confusion sometimes and always eager to run over when they called his name. Mostly though, he still slept for a good chunk of the days and nights, safely tucked into the backpack or in either of their arms. </p><p>Thankfully. Looking after a baby dragon was not something Riku ever learned about from any book he’d read, and they were mostly making it up as they went along. It seemed to be working so far though; Lux was definitely growing bigger, stronger, and faster. He could already light their campfires without Tyrsat’s help now, his Fire magic coming out in steady bursts when he wanted.</p><p>Riku looked back from Lux’s happy face towards the land in front of them: green, undulating hills as far as they could see. Forests in the distance, too, and a wide dirt road that led in a curvy zigzag across the lush landscape in the direction of the castle in the distance. </p><p>Riku knew Fantasia was a relatively small province, but it was the heart, the centre of the Symphony of Sorcery. The other six provinces all bordered the omni province, and if he looked towards his left, he saw a bright flash from the desert in the thunder province. Beyond that were the mountains of the blizzard province, only visible because the width of the borders here was short, like pizza slices stretching outwards from the small centre.</p><p>“Fantasia looks a little like the Kingdom of Corona,” Sora said, a little wistfully. “You remember me telling you about that, don’t you? That place was just as beautiful as this one…”</p><p>At Sora’s slightly melancholy tone, Riku turned to him with a concerned frown. He entwined his free hand into Sora’s hair. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>Sora looked at him, startled, as if he hadn’t realised something had been wrong in the first place. Then his face softened, and he leaned into Riku’s touch a little, casting his eyes down as he shuffled his right foot back and forth across the dirt. “I miss… I miss home.”</p><p>“Oh, Sora…”</p><p>“Adventures are fun and all, and I love being with you no matter where we are. But I miss Donald and Goofy. And Kairi and Roxas and Lea. I even miss the homework Master Yen Sid gives us.”</p><p>“I miss them too. It’s been a long time. We’ve been here for over a month, now.”</p><p>“Yeah…” Sora looked up again, his eyes glistening. “I love adventures. I love travelling and exploring, but I think I’m also ready to go home and sleep in our own bed again.”</p><p>“We’re almost at the end now, though. Just… hang in there for the final battle, okay?”</p><p>Riku smiled softly, shifting the hand in Sora’s hair to ruffle the spikes on top instead. Sora ducked his head with a shrill, indignant cry, but he wasn’t able to go far without disturbing Lux so he was mostly forced to bear it. Only he let out a burst of laughter too, though, so Riku figured his mission was accomplished. </p><p>“Technically, since we’re in a dream, we probably <em>are</em> asleep in our own bed right now,” he attempted as a joke.</p><p>“Ugh, our lives are so confusing sometimes,” Sora complained, turning back to stare into the distance where the castle rose up in the midst of all the hills. It was light grey, made of stone, and too far away for Riku to make out any details. It was weirdly hazy, too, as if his eyes were unable to focus on it. Was that an effect of the curse that had been placed on it? And even from so far away, there was something else about the castle, something that made Riku uncomfortable if he lingered on it too long… </p><p>“Do you think Merlin and Master Yen Sid and all our dragon friends made it here, yet?” Sora asked, squinting into the distance with a hand above his eyes.</p><p>“It’s impossible to tell from here,” Riku replied. “We’re gonna have to make our way down there.”</p><p>“Yeah…” Sora agreed with a shrug and a loud sigh. Then he grinned. “At least we’re almost there now!”</p><p>Since Lux had been born, Sora had <em>flourished</em>, there was no other word for it. And, if Riku was honest, so had he. While their talks at the cure shrine had comforted them both and brought them closer together than ever, having Lux around made everything <em>brighter</em> (his name was very apt like that) and had given them renewed hope. Whenever Riku felt sad, he only needed to look at the baby dragon skipping after the glowing fire blobs or playing in heaps of pine needles with Tyrsat, and the load on his shoulders lessened a little.</p><p>He knew it was the same for Sora.</p><p>“Let’s go, Riku!” Sora exclaimed suddenly, and he jumped into the air, his fist to the skies, before dragging Riku back onto the path.</p><p>They were roughly halfway down the mountain when they saw him — first as a shadow rushing too fast across the ground to be a cloud. Then, as Riku looked up, the shape of something large, black and white, a familiar <em>feeling</em> suddenly inside of him. And then, finally, a kind voice inside his head.</p><p>
  <em>Sora! Riku! Tyrsat! </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Darrid! </em>
</p><p>Tyrsat met Darrid, the blizzard dragon, in mid-air, and Riku and Sora watched in fascination as Tyrsat let out a burst of Fire magic which Darrid met with a burst of Blizzard magic. Their magic met in mid-air, erupting in a cloud of steam and sparkles, and Sora clapped his hands enthusiastically.</p><p>Darrid landed in front of them on the mountain path, clearly excited to see them; Riku felt his eagerness resonating into him and Sora, a wave of energy that reinvigorated them after long days of trekking the wilderness. The blizzard dragon lowered his head for Sora and Riku to touch before shifting his gaze to Sora’s shoulder — or rather, the little dragon peeking shyly over Sora’s shoulder. Darrid’s eyes widened.</p><p>
  <em>You did it! You hatched him! I knew you would be able to do it! </em>
</p><p>“Thank you!” Sora beamed before continuing proudly. “His name is Lux! Isn’t he beautiful? He’s asleep like ninety perfect of the day, but he can light our fires and everything! He’s already super strong!”</p><p>
  <em>You did a great job. Now come! I’ll take you to the sorcerers and all my friends, the other dragons! I’ll fill you in on the way.</em>
</p><p>“They’re here?” Riku asked, turning to Sora with a wide, relieved smile. </p><p>“They’re here! They made it!” Sora jumped into Riku’s arms, wrapping his legs and arms tightly around Riku. Riku was barely fast enough to catch him, wrapping his arms around Sora’s waist in return to hold him up. Lux chirped happily, pressing his snout over Sora’s shoulder and into the side of Riku’s neck.</p><p>
  <em>Hop on!</em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Darrid set them down a mile or so from the castle, on the edge of the camp of sorcerers. Darrid had explained on the way that everyone with magic who was able and willing to fight, had answered Merlin’s and Master Yen Sid’s call and made it here over the past week or so. They had all been waiting for Sora and Riku to arrive, studying the castle and making battle plans for when the curse could be lifted and they’d be able to attack.</p><p>After setting them down, Darrid gestured his head in the direction of the massive azure tent in the middle of the buzz of activity.</p><p>
  <em>Bring Lux to Master Yen Sid. He will know what to do. I will take Tyrsat to the rest of the dragons, up the hill there. We’ll see you later.</em>
</p><p>Even though Sora and Riku assured Tyrsat it would only be for a few hours, the fire dragon was sad to say goodbye to Lux. They had to promise they’d come to find him again as soon as they could before Tyrsat agreed to part ways. With a sad grumble, he licked the top of Lux’s head, and Lux let out a string of high-pitched chirps in reply, squirming in the backpack.</p><p><em>Be good, Lux</em>.</p><p>Then Sora and Riku were on their own again. Or well, not really on their <em>own</em>. Darrid had been right, it seemed as if <em>everyone</em> with magical powers had come here to this open field in the omni province, to help and to fight. There were dozens of witches and wizards walking around, fussing with their tents, reading books or preparing what looked to be magical weapons: colourful round grenades the size of Riku’s fist that sparked with lightning or swirled with water or fire. Fairies flew from tent to tent with messages, or just chasing each other in puffs of golden sparkles.</p><p>Sora beamed as he took it all in, eyes wide and gleaming at so much liveliness after having spent over a week in the wild. They stood and watched for a few moments before Sora grabbed Riku’s hand, and they set off in the direction of the azure tent in the middle of the campsite as Darrid had instructed. As they walked, Sora gave little waves at everyone who looked up to watch them, his head snapping this way, eyes filled with interest as he looked at everything that was going on. </p><p>Somewhere in the camp, they found a Moogle — of course they did — who sold <em>sea salt ice cream</em> (Riku had stopped questioning everything that had to do with Sora and Moogles). They ate their ice cream sitting on a rock, Riku all but overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the camp around them.</p><p>When they set off again, they hadn’t even passed five tents and already they had been given a potion supply that would last them a week, three loaves of bread and two round cheeses. Lux received over a dozen cuddles and head pats — which he happily accepted.</p><p>Riku smiled at how effortlessly Sora fit in here, how easily he talked to everyone, people he had never met before. Sora had been to so many places, and he was so <em>good</em> at making small talk and being naturally charming.</p><p>Once upon a time, Riku might have been jealous of the attention Sora managed to draw to himself just by smiling and <em>existing</em>. Now, it just made him feel warm and happy to see Sora so effortlessly mingle with the witches and wizards, getting them to explain how they were making their magical grenades and happily accepting sweets and treats for Lux.</p><p>Still, after about an hour, Riku figured that Master Yen Sid would be waiting for them, and he took Sora by the hand to drag him away from the wizard that had been giving them a demonstration with his thunder grenades. The man threw a handful into the air, one after the other, where they exploded with loud cracks and sizzles, bolts of lightning streaking in every direction. The smell of ozone was very strong.</p><p>“Come on,” Riku said as Sora whined in protest, still staring up at the skies. “We’re not done yet. We still have a curse to lift and a castle to save.”</p><p>“Hmmm, <em>fine</em>,” Sora agreed, falling into step with him.</p><p>The castle was to their north-west, casting a large shadow over the camp as the sun set behind it, and Riku kept glancing over between the tents as they walked. The castle had been a vague, grey shape from a distance. Riku had thought the vagueness was because of the curse, but he saw now that the castle was actually completely covered in cobwebs, making it one large, hazy structure. The sight was strange and a little bit alarming. He’d never seen cobwebs this large… He didn’t want to picture the size of the spiders that must have done this… And still, the castle radiated something that made him feel uneasy, more so now that they were closer.</p><p><em>Darkness</em>.</p><p>Before he could linger on that, they finally made it to the centre of the camp, where Master Yen Sid’s tent was pitched.</p><p>“Uhm, hello?” Riku called, wondering if he should knock on the tent flap, or if calling out would be the equivalent of ringing the doorbell. “Master Yen Sid?”</p><p>As if by magic, the tent flaps were raised open towards the sides, revealing a spacious interior: a desk filled with parchments and books, shelves with potted herbs and glass ingredient jars, a few bedrolls and even a sofa in the far corner.</p><p>“Wow!” Sora exclaimed, taking a step inside.</p><p>Merlin looked up from where he was seated behind the desk, his nose buried in a book.</p><p>“Ohhh! Riku! Sora! You made it!”</p><p>He jumped off his chair and hurried over towards them. As soon as he was close enough, he grabbed a hand from each of them and shook them up and down rapidly. “I’m so happy to see you both, lads. I’ve been so worried! Luckily Yen Sid brought me updates not too long ago, and then Flora, Fauna and Merryweather also reported back after they saw you — they’re looking after the library in Kiniro for me now. So all in all, I knew you’d been doing okay. But seeing you back here, all safe and sound, it warms my heart!”</p><p>“Thank you,” Riku said, trying to gently take the hand back that Merlin was still shaking. Luckily, Merlin got the hint and let their hands go with a sheepish expression. “We had a few adventures along the way, but we made it. We’re so glad to see you, too, Merlin.”</p><p>“And oohhhhh!” Merlin exclaimed, finally taking note of the golden eyes and yellow horns peeking over Sora’s shoulder. His eyes went comically wide. “Is that…”</p><p>“This is Lux!” Sora said cheerfully. He shrugged the backpack off so it slung over one shoulder and he could take Lux out. The dragon wiggled in his arms, shyly burying his face into Sora’s chest. “Lux, the omni dragon.”</p><p>“You know,” came a deep voice from behind them. “Not even I have ever seen a baby omni dragon. They’re the rarest of all. It’s been a hundred years since the last one was born, and her parents never let her out of their sights until she was well into her teenage years.”</p><p>Riku and Sora turned around in unison to see Master Yen Sid standing in the door opening. Riku’s eyes immediately snapped to the two people — <em>thieves</em> — standing half behind him, and his heart rate doubled; he had to force down the urge to call upon his keyblade. </p><p>They were in a magical camp, he told himself. The three good fairies had told them Nim and Maeldin had made their way back to Merlin. Even after what Nim and Maeldin had done to them, the fact that they were here, free to walk around, must mean something. </p><p>Master Yen Sid stepped forward, leaning over to get a closer look at the baby dragon in Sora’s arms. Lux turned his head and opened one eye to peek up into the wizard’s face.</p><p>“Magnificent…” Master Yen Sid mumbled.</p><p>In reply, Lux opened his mouth, but instead of a greeting sound, he let out a tiny flame burst that singed Master Yen Sid’s eyebrows despite the man’s quick response speed as he jerked his head back.</p><p>“Lux!” Sora called out indignantly. “What did we tell you? You’re not allowed to blow fire at friends. Master Yen Sid is a friend!”</p><p>The old wizard chuckled — a sound that Riku had never heard before — and Riku smiled as he watched him brush a hand over his brow, wiping away sweat and a little soot. His large bushy eyebrows were suddenly a lot less bushy, though. Sora let out a little laugh, too, as Lux buried his snout back into Sora’s chest.</p><p>“Well, I suppose I might have expected that,” Master Yen Sid said. He looked up to study Sora and Riku carefully, his gaze so intent Riku fought the urge to squirm under the attention. “You boys have done outstanding work. Really, I could not have asked for more.”</p><p>Riku watched Sora’s face lit up at the praise, and he felt his own heart swell a little as well. A little more weight felt lifted off his shoulders. They were no longer alone; they were surrounded by so much magic and help now. Surely Merlin and Master Yen Sid would know what to do. The fate of the worlds was no longer just in their hands, and that was a very comforting thought. No matter how brave and confident he had learned to feel on his own, the thought of taking on a cure dragon gone evil to rescue an entire castle was a bit much, even for him.</p><p>Nim and Maeldin finally moved closer as well and came to stand between Merlin and Master Yen Sid. Merlin’s face smoothed into a gentle smile as he looked at both of them in turn.</p><p>“Sora, Riku… I believe you’ve met my sister, Nimue. And my best friend, Maeldin. I heard that they… caused you some trouble. I would like to apologise for that.”</p><p>“Ah, it’s okay,” Sora said, always quick to forgive and forget. “The fact that they chased us made Darrid — he’s the blizzard dragon we met in Frigis — give us a ride I won’t ever forget. So it wasn’t all bad!”</p><p>“Still,” Nim said with a minute bow of her head. “We’re sorry for causing you so much trouble.”</p><p>“And thank you,” Maeldin added. “For getting us to travel to Kiniro to find Merlin. We… had a lot to talk about.”</p><p>Merlin’s smile grew even brighter, and though Riku realised not everything had magically been fixed between them, he could tell they had reconciled after whatever it was that had come between them. It wasn’t his place to pry though, so he kept his reply short and polite. “I’m glad to hear it.”</p><p>“Now, though…” Master Yen Sid started. “I wish we had the time to catch up properly, but the pleasantries will have to wait. <em>The grand magic dragon will awaken and lift the curse</em>. And now he’s here… You say his name is Lux?”</p><p>“Yes,” Riku said. “Sora named him.”</p><p>“It’s a fitting name,” Nim said, a slight smile on her lips as her gaze flicked to the baby dragon in Sora’s arms.</p><p>“I think I figured it out,” Merlin said. He walked over to the desk and came back with a stack of parchments, more yellow than white, which he held out in front of him. “All this time, I thought it was about the mysterious <em>grand magic</em>, that we would have to do something with that. But it’s not. It’s about the greatest magic of all.”</p><p>“The greatest magic of all?” Sora repeated, confused.</p><p>“Love,” Riku clarified, surprised by how certain his voice came out.</p><p>“Oohhhhh,” Sora said, realisation dawning on his face.</p><p>“So what do we do?” Riku glanced down at Lux, although deep down, he already knew the answer. He’d always known that, as adorable as Lux was, and as protective he made Riku feel… He wasn’t theirs to keep. He was just sad they wouldn’t get to spend more time with him.</p><p>“We’ll take Lux to the other dragons,” Merlin said. “That’s where he belongs. Ideally, we’d take him to his parents, but the castle is heavily warded, the magic barrier too strong, and we can’t get in without risking a full-scale battle. We hope that Lux being reunited with the other dragons will spark enough love to lift the curse.”</p><p>Master Yen Sid nodded seriously. “Flora, Fauna and Merryweather told you about the missing cure dragon, did they not?”</p><p>Riku looked back up at Master Yen Sid. “Yes, they did.”</p><p>“He is inside the castle, keeping watch. Waiting. His name is Iegur. He gathered an army of Nightmares to him, although he seems to be waiting for us to attack first. Maybe he does not know we have the baby omni dragon and he considers himself safe… His darkness is strong though, and getting stronger by the day. Can you feel it?”</p><p>Riku nodded. It made sense now, the uneasy feeling he’d had when looking at the castle. The darkness.</p><p>“We’ve been preparing for the final battle,” Merlin said seriously. “We hope you will join us. We need to defeat Iegur to release his hold over the castle and free the people and dragons inside.”</p><p>“Of course,” Riku said. He’d known it would come to this. They both had. He was just glad they wouldn’t have to fight alone this time.</p><p>Sora fell silent, his head bowed as he looked at the baby dragon in his arms; Lux, oblivious to all the attention on him, had fallen back asleep.</p><p>“Hey,” Riku said, stepping closer so he could brush tender fingers underneath Sora’s chin, gently getting him to look up at him. “It’s okay. Lux will be happy with the other dragons.”</p><p>“He was happy with <em>us</em>,” Sora said, a little petulantly, but Riku couldn’t blame him.</p><p>“He was,” he agreed. “But you know we can’t keep him forever… And also, if we’re fighting tomorrow, we can’t keep him at our side either. He’ll be safe with the other dragons, they’ll look after him.”</p><p>Sora deflated, stepping closer to rest his forehead against Riku’s chest, and Riku wrapped an arm around Sora’s shoulder in return.</p><p>“He’ll be okay. He’ll grow up to be a wonderful, magnificent omni dragon. And we’ll always carry him in our hearts because it was our magic that nurtured him.”</p><p>Sora looked up at him with blue, wet, soulful eyes, but he nodded. “Let’s go then.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>The dragons were resting a little way from the sorcerers’ camp, and as soon as Sora, Riku, Merlin and Master Yen Sid arrived at the edge of their terrain, Tyrsat swiftly flew over to meet them. A magnificent dragon followed right behind him, her tail and wings so bright they almost <em>literally</em> seemed to be caught on fire.</p><p>
  <em>This is my mom! Fryphir!</em>
</p><p>Behind them were a dozen or so dragons who had all turned their heads to watch the arriving party. Half of them Riku recognised — the dragons they’d met before. Syphidel the water dragon, Largyrem the aero dragon, Darrid the blizzard dragon, Tailu the thunder dragon. They all watched as Sora set Lux down on the ground.</p><p>“Look, Lux. They’re your new friends. They’ll look after you when we’re gonna fight to free your parents.”</p><p>Tyrsat came up to them and nuzzled the top of Lux’s head, as he’d done dozens of times before. Lux looked up at him and chirped happily in reply.</p><p>Sora took a step back, automatically reaching for Riku’s hand. Riku could feel him tremble a little, and he squeezed tightly.</p><p>“Hmm,” Merlin said, tilting his head. “Nothing is happening. We had guessed that— Hmm.”</p><p>The other dragons moved closer, slowly, and one by one they started introducing themselves to Lux. Still, nothing happened.</p><p>“How do we know it worked?” Riku asked quietly, glancing back towards the cobwebbed castle that still looked exactly the same.</p><p>No one had the answer.</p><p>Even after all the dragons had introduced themselves — some with magic spells, some by brushing snouts with Lux — nothing happened. Lux glanced up in eagerness at all of them, before hopping over towards Tyrsat’s side.</p><p>“Should we just… go?” Sora asked. “Maybe the curse has already been lifted?”</p><p>“Maybe?” Riku said, but it didn’t feel right. They hadn’t even really properly said goodbye to Lux… Still, he took another step back, drawing Sora with him — and that’s when it happened.</p><p>Lux let out a loud cry and turned around, his attention fully on Sora and Riku again.</p><p>“Lux…” Sora whispered.</p><p>With a speed that Riku had not seen from him before, Lux rushed over, a blur of pastel rainbow colours against the green hillside. Sora dropped to his knees, opening his arms, and Riku did the same. Lux crashed into them, nearly knocking both of them over backwards into the grass with the force of the impact, and Sora’s laughter rang out, bright and contagious.</p><p>Riku wrapped his arms around Lux, holding him close, and Sora followed suit. They sat in their little hug for long, long moments, both of them burying as close to Lux as they could.</p><p>Then, <em>magically</em>, silver swirls erupted from Lux’s body, sending both Sora and Riku back onto the grass for real this time, a little dazed in confusion over what had just happened.</p><p>Something shifted in the air, as if the entire world had just let out a deep sigh, and everything felt… <em>lighter</em> somehow. Lux launched himself up into the air, trying to get back into their embrace, but instead of a jump, the magic energy that surrounded him in ribbons of silver kept him afloat in the air. He looked around in surprise, staying airborne for a few seconds longer before collapsing to the ground in a tumble of limbs.</p><p>“He’s got <em>wings</em>!” Sora exclaimed. “Magical wings! He can fly!” </p><p>Riku stared for a moment, wide-eyed, before wrapping Lux back into his arms for a final hug, and then he and Sora were surrounded by the magic energy that was Lux’s newly formed wings. Riku buried his face in the baby dragon’s downy-soft fur, inhaling deeply — the scent of magic engulfed his scenes — water, aero, blizzard, thunder, cure and fire.</p><p>“Did you feel that?” Merlin’s voice exclaimed overhead.</p><p>“Yes. It seems part of the curse has been lifted,” Master Yen Sid said. “But we must not celebrate yet. It is not over. Look at the castle. It is still asleep. I am not sure the curse has been lifted fully. I can still feel…”</p><p>Riku looked up over the top of Sora’s head. Swirls of dark purple energy had gathered around the castle, and Riku didn’t need to hear Master Yen Sid’s next words to understand what that meant.</p><p>“It seems the curse has been lifted from the castle at least, but not the sleeping spell. I fear we are in for a major battle tomorrow. Iegur is one of the strongest dragons, and he seems determined to fight us until the end. We have to defeat him to lift the sleeping spell, and with it, the remainder of the curse that’s spread across the world.”</p><p>“Well, at least he’s no longer as protected as he was,” Merlin said. “He may still be able to summon Nightmares, but we’ve got all the powerful sorcerers in the world here, not to mention a dozen dragons. It’s going to be difficult, but we can fully awaken the castle when we defeat him. Right, Yen Sid?”</p><p>“The curse has been partway lifted, but not completely. And the sleeping spell has not been lifted either. We must prepare. We will attack tomorrow morning at dawn.”</p><p>Riku carefully set Lux back into the grass, stroking across his head a final time. Sora’s hand joined him, and both of them petted the baby dragon goodbye. When they stood, Tyrsat came up to them, standing over Lux protectively.</p><p>
  <em>I will watch him. Tomorrow. Mom says I can’t fight yet. So I will watch him.</em>
</p><p>“Thank you, Tyrsat,” Riku said gratefully. “And bye, Lux. We have to go now, but you’ll be safe here. Tyrsat and the other dragons will look after you now, and after we win tomorrow and free the castle, you’ll get to go back to your parents.”</p><p>“Bye, Lux,” Sora said. “We’ll see you tomorrow, after the battle.”</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>  
</p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>-- Art by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a></p>
</div><p>Their night — in a small tent, just behind Master Yen Sid’s and Merlin’s tents — was restless. It was strange to sleep without Lux’s warm presence between them, something Riku had already gotten so used to, even after a few days. On top of that, the idea of fighting such a massive battle tomorrow kept him from fully being able to let go and fall asleep. He dozed, slipping in and out of lucid dreams, all the while feeling Sora twist and turn against him. </p><p>The worry in his mind reminded Riku of the night before their final battle against Xehanort — with one big difference. Even if Mickey and Aqua and the others wouldn’t be here, they would have <em>dragons</em> at their side, and dozens of sorcerers.</p><p>It would be okay, he told himself over and over, like a mantra, to dispel the churns of worry in his stomach and in an attempt to get his heart rate to slow down. Even with their magic gone, they had help now. They felt strong again. Just one more battle, and then they’d be able to go home.</p><p>And while he would miss Lux and all the magical things that had happened here, he felt the same way as Sora. Adventures were nice, but going back home afterwards to their friends and their regular lives would be nice, too. Riku sighed and opened his eyes, staring up at the dark tent cover. What he wouldn’t give to be in their own bedroom again already, with their glow-in-the-dark stars and their soft, velvet flannel duvet cover.</p><p>Soon.</p><p>It would be okay, he repeated to himself again, and this time he believed it and finally fell into a deeper sleep.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Fight to protect what matters. Fight for the castle, the Symphony of Sorcery, the dragons, for magic itself. And for Sora’s and his safe return home. He listed them all off in his head, as he and Sora stood side by side amidst a line of sorcerers, all ready to attack.</p><p>Between them and the castle stood an enormous hoard of Nightmares — Pegaslicks, Electricorns, Kooma Pandas. Massive black bats fluttered in the air — a type of black Nightmare Riku hadn’t seen before. And in the battlefront of the Nightmare army stood a line of gigantic Nightmare spiders, black streaked with dark green and red. Riku shuddered as he watched them; he suddenly realised why the castle was covered in these enormous cobwebs.</p><p>There were so <em>many</em>, too. No wonder he and Sora hadn’t had much trouble with Nightmares over the past week; all of them seemed to have been summoned to the castle for this final battle. </p><p>Iegur the cure dragon, had come out of the castle in the middle of the night and was now perched on top of the highest tower of the castle, overlooking all of them. He looked like a massive insect; there was really no other way to describe him. His two sets of wings buzzed back and forth even as he was resting, and his claws gripped the stone wall of the tower, which his giant thick tail flicked back and forth against. There were large pink flowers across his shoulders and back, and his skin — jade green into pale seafoam — shone in the sunlight. Four pairs of yellow-orange glowing eyes roamed over the battlefield, never lingering on one spot for long.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>  
</p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>-- Art by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a></p>
</div><p>In the enemy’s midst, a massive creature towered over all of them with his arms crossed: Chernabog. Not inside a mountain this time, but rising up from the dirt and the grass of the battleground itself.</p><p>A breeze blew across the field, and Riku heard the faint crackling and sizzling of the magic from the magical grenades the sorcerers were holding, but other than that, everything was eerily quiet. They all waited for something to happen — sorcerers and dragons and Nightmares alike. Although for what, Riku wasn’t sure. </p><p>It was long minutes until Master Yen Sid stepped forward.</p><p>“Iegur.”</p><p>There was a long pause, and Riku thought Iegur hadn’t heard Master Yen Sid. But then— </p><p>
  <em>Why have you come?</em>
</p><p>“You know why, Iegur. You have put the castle asleep, you are holding King Rodarch, Queen Ganieda and Prince Da captive. And the curse may have been lifted from the castle, but you need to lift your sleeping spell, too, to lift the remainder of the curse from the entire world. Magic is <em>fading</em> from the Symphony of Sorcery. Can you not feel it?”</p><p>Riku could’ve sworn he felt a brief surge of confusion mixed with panic at that, but it was gone before he could fully focus on it, replaced by feelings of anger, defensiveness, <em>darkness</em>. He itched to call forth his keyblade — but there was nothing to fight yet.</p><p>Then, with laser-sharp focus, the cure dragon’s attention was on him and Sora, with all his eyes.</p><p>
  <em>How are you here? I sent my Spellican to finish you off as soon as you lost the power to cure. You should have been weak then. You should have been killed.</em>
</p><p>“Ha!” Sora said triumphantly. “You’re not the first enemy we faced who underestimated our determination. I will always fight for Riku, and Riku will always fight for me. Not that <em>you</em> would understand that!”</p><p>“Why are you doing this?” Riku called out. Though the dragon was half a mile away, he was clearly able to hear their voices. “Why did you put the castle to sleep? What’s in it for you?”</p><p>
  <em>This world is wounded. Have you not seen all the monsters? I have to put it to sleep because sleep is a healing state. I had to learn to command these monsters, so I can protect the castle.</em>
</p><p>“Why?” Sora asked, his hands curling into fists. “There’s nothing wrong with this world! You’re the one wounding it with your actions!”</p><p><em>Nothing wrong with this world? It’s asleep! This world has turned into a sleeping world because outside of sleep, there is Darkness. As long as the omni dragons are asleep, the world will not wake up</em>.<em> We will all sleep</em>.</p><p>“You’re wrong!” Sora said. “There’s a new omni dragon, his name is Lux, and he’s already lifted part of the curse and given the Symphony of Sorcery some power back! Give it up already.”</p><p>
  <em>No. There are monsters without hearts out there, outside this sleep. I have felt it. I needed to take action. This world can never wake up. </em>
</p><p>“No, you’re wr—” Riku started, but he was interrupted as the Nightmares that had been waiting silently all seemed to come alive as one. There were cries, stamping hooves and feet, and amidst all the enemies, Chernabog raised himself up to its full height — a dark, black shape casting a massive shadow over the battlefield.</p><p><em>No more talking. We will defeat you now, and this world will sleep forever</em>.<em> It will be safe</em>.</p><p>The cure dragon drew himself up to his full height, fanning out his wings in what was clearly some sort of signal. All the Nightmares on the battlefield started to rush forward as one. Riku watched, hands balled into fists, as Master Yen Sid raised both his hands to the sky and drew up a shield of light that the Nightmares crashed into as soon as they reached it.</p><p>Riku could tell the shield wouldn’t hold long though, with Nightmare after Nightmare throwing itself at it. He unfurled his right fist and held out his arm for Braveheart to materialise. Next to him, Ultima appeared in Sora’s hand. Summoned by the call of their keyblades and the clamouring Nightmares in front of them, Paopu and Komy appeared in flashes of white light.</p><p>“Sora, Riku!” Maeldin called from behind them. “Our attacks are better suited for the smaller Nightmares. You should take two of the dragons and focus on the big one!”</p><p>“Chernabog…” Riku said, his jaw clenched. “He looks even bigger now than the last time I fought him…”</p><p>“It’s been so long since I fought against him. I barely remember what he looked like,” Sora said, his eyes wide as he turned to Riku.</p><p>“You fought him too?” Riku asked, surprise evident in his voice.</p><p>“Yeah! I kind of forgot, but now that I see him again, I remember… It was a really tough battle… Even with Donald and Goofy by my side. You fought him all on your own, right? Riku, you’re so cool!”</p><p>Riku’s jaw unclenched in surprise, and he felt his face heat up as he just stared at Sora. It was hardly the place or the time, but whenever Sora said something admiring, he couldn’t help his automatic response. Bashfully, he averted his gaze.</p><p>“Well, if you did it before,” Sora started, and Riku could hear the grin in his words. “And I did it before. Then with the two of us, and our Dream Eaters, he won’t stand a chance!”</p><p>“Right,” Riku agreed, nodding at Sora with a grin of his own. “We got this. For Lux. For the Symphony of Sorcery. And so we can go home together… Sora.”</p><p>Sora just pressed his free hand to Riku’s chest, over his heart, and nodded.</p><p>Riku turned back to the Nightmares, his heart racing and his palms sweaty, as Master Yen Sid’s shield of light started to fade and break apart more and more. A single Nightmare broke through one of the cracks, easily dispersed with a Thunder spell from one of the sorcerers in the line. But then another one broke through, and then another. Finally, the shield dissolved in a burst of sparkles, and the wave of Nightmares was upon them.</p><p>“Paopu! Komy! Come on!” Sora called, and he raced forwards into the fray.</p><p>Riku was only half a second behind him, keyblade at the ready. Side by side, he and Sora fought through hoard after hoard of Pegaslicks, Electricorns, Kooma Pandas and Nightmare spiders surging at them. The bats screeched overhead, but Komy’s Confusing Waves combined with all the dragons flying overhead prevented their aerial attacks from reaching the ground.</p><p>It was strange, Riku thought as he fought the Nightmares. They had lost all of their elemental magic, element by element. Fighting had gotten harder and harder of the last few weeks; they should’ve been at their weakest and most vulnerable. But somehow, none of that seemed to matter anymore. Riku felt strengthened beyond belief by the fact that they weren’t doing this alone — the sorcerers were spread all around them on the battlefield, dispersing Nightmare after Nightmare with their spells, healing each other as needed, throwing their magical grenades into the fray. The dragons flew overhead, breathing attacks of fire, water or aero as they rushed over the Nightmare masses.</p><p>And Sora… Sora was <em>magnificent</em>. He sliced, and he parried, he jabbed and effortlessly slid into a spin slash. Riku was busy with Nightmares of his own, but seeing Sora fight so brilliantly made him unable <em>not</em> to look at him whenever he had a split second. </p><p>It seemed like they had both found their strength to fight for what mattered — and had become stronger people for it, even without their magic.</p><p>Riku didn’t need magic to fight for what was right, anyway. He still had his keyblade, he had defensive spells left to guard himself and Sora as they fought… He had Komy, and they had the support of the entire Symphony of Sorcery.</p><p>Riku jumped into the air and crashed back down, slamming his blade into the ground and creating a shockwave that sent all the Nightmares in a circle around them flying into the air.</p><p>“Sora, come on!” he called, rushing over to Chernabog. They would have to leave the rest of the Nightmares for the sorcerers and the dragons to handle.</p><p>Sora was by his side quickly, calling out, “Paopu, now!”</p><p>At Sora’s command, his Meow Wow grew in size tenfold, bouncing closer and closer to Chernabog. Sora was on his back, laughing in the midst of battle — one hand extended to Riku who was still running next to him.</p><p>“Riku, come on!”</p><p>Riku jumped again, grabbing Sora’s hand as he was pulled up onto the back of Sora’s Dream Eater. Like this, they towered over the Nightmares and could easily make their way over to Chernabog. In the air behind them were Darrid and Tyrsat’s mother, Fryphir, helping to clear a path for them with bursts of blizzard and fire.</p><p>“What’s the plan, Sora?” Riku called out, exhilarated by the chase, the battle, <em>Sora</em> — remembering how fun it was to fight together when they were both feeling good and strong.</p><p>“We attack Chernabog from the ground, and Darrid and Fryphir attack his arms and wings and head from the skies. We’ll take him down in no time!”</p><p>Sora’s confidence was catching, and Riku found himself nodding, grinning in eager anticipation. He got ready to leap off Meow Wow, bringing Braveheart up to his shoulder. “Okay. Sora, you take his left side, I’ll take his right. Good luck!”</p><p>“Ha,” Sora grinned at him, and <em>oh</em>, it was so wonderful to see him so full of confidence in a battle again. He was so beautiful. “I don’t need <em>luck</em>, Riku.”</p><p>Riku kissed him, in the middle of the battlefield on top of a massive, bouncing Meow Wow. This would definitely be in his top three for the strangest places they’d ever kissed, but that was part of the fun, wasn’t it? Sora giggled, pressing closer for a second before Chernabog came into attacking distance.</p><p>“Okay, no luck then,” Riku grinned. “But be safe!”</p><p>“You too!” Sora called, and then Riku jumped off, keyblade first, right into Chernabog’s side.</p><p>He focused all his attention on his air combos, as that’s where he felt his strikes were doing the most damage, delivering slash after slash to Chernabog’s right side and upper leg. The creature was <em>massive</em>, but while normally that would’ve been daunting, he knew Sora was chipping away at their opponent’s health from the other side, and Darrid and Fryphir were laying into him with magical attacks from the air as well.</p><p>Komy was never far from him, performing Bat Tackle after Bat Tackle, and healing Riku occasionally as needed. Riku tuned out everything else around him, it was just thrust-thrust-block, shift his grip, shake out his arm, rinse and repeat. Pause for a second to breathe, drink a potion safe behind his barrier, and then surge back into the fight. He didn’t need to think like this, there was nothing else in the world apart from the way his keyblade made contact with the massive creature, Sora’s cries and shouts from the other side, and Riku’s determination to <em>win</em>.</p><p>Distracted for a single second as he stumbled when his left thigh cramped up briefly, he missed the way one of Chernabog’s massive wings cut through the air directly towards him, and his barrier came up too late. The blow sent him spinning through the air.</p><p>He managed to brace himself mid-air and landed on his right side, dodge rolling to minimise the force of the impact.</p><p>“Riku!” Sora called, throwing him a hi-potion which Riku caught mid-air. “You okay?”</p><p>“Yeah!” Riku called back, doing a quick mental once-over and deciding nothing was sprained or injured. “You?”</p><p>“Never better!” Sora grinned. His hair was a wild mess, but he hadn’t lost any of his earlier confidence, even though they had been fighting for a long time now.</p><p>Riku downed the bottle of green liquid before pushing himself back up and crouching back into his battle stance. He took a moment to assess the situation. Chernabog was greatly weakened; Riku suspected they were close to defeating him completely.</p><p>Sora was awash in a green glow for a second as Meow Wow cast a Curaga spell, and then the both of them were attacking again. The muscles in Riku’s arms ached, and his left side felt tender the way it always did when he’d been fighting for too long. Still, his spirits were high.</p><p>They were close to defeating Chernabog, they could do this.</p><p>Then, just as he had regained himself enough to jump back into the battle, his eyes widened in fear as both Chernabog’s arms and wings swept around wildly in a last-ditch effort attack towards Sora. Riku was too far away, he’d never be able to make it to Sora in time to— </p><p>But maybe if he merged with Komy into his Rising Wing form, he would be fast enough to make it, only—</p><p>No.</p><p>Riku repressed the urge, taking a deep breath. Sora had been phenomenal all battle. Riku <em>knew</em> that he would be able to handle it. There was a time and a place for protecting him, and Riku felt that now was not it. He watched, filled with a strange warm feeling of <em>pride</em>, as Sora jumped into the air, backflipping off Chernabog’s calf, and the creature’s arms narrowly missed him. The wing grazed him, but barely, only catching his ankle.</p><p>Riku exhaled a sigh of relief and admiration as Sora landed in a crouch, grinning up at where Meow Wow hurled himself at Chernabog’s knee. Paopu performed a Horn Strike that did enough damage to make Chernabog stagger, swaying his massive torso around in an attempt to steady himself.</p><p>“Riku!” Sora called, scrambling to his feet. “Let’s finish this together, okay?”</p><p>Riku didn’t have to ask; he knew what Sora meant. He rushed over to his side and wordlessly, they both extended their arms to the skies at the same time.</p><p>Their halves of the Combined Keyblade appeared in a rainbow of light, Nightmare’s End and Mirage Split spinning around each other almost too fast to see, then combining in sparks of yellow and blue, lighting up everything around them. Time seemed to stop — the way it always did when they prepared their attack together — and there was nothing inside of Riku apart from the way he could hear every beat of his heart as if in slow-motion, perfectly in tune with <em>Sora</em>.</p><p>It was the most exhilarating feeling in the world — it lasted both a split second and <em>forever</em>.</p><p>Then, in a rush, they were moving in unison, spinning and swirling through the air, before they brought down the Combined Keyblade on Chernabog in a final strike.</p><p>The creature swayed more, letting out a loud, wretched cry of defeat, before he began to fall over sideways, his body wrapping in on itself as he was engulfed in swirls of purple and darkness. </p><p>He faded back into nothingness in front of their eyes.</p><p>“Yes!” Sora cried, turning to Riku to hug him so tightly it <em>hurt</em>, but Riku didn’t complain and hugged Sora back just as tightly.</p><p>They breathed, and Riku allowed himself a moment to curl himself all around Sora, ensuring himself he was alive and well — and unharmed. Sora pulled back a little, looking up at him, eyes alight with joy and hope and sunshine and everything Riku loved about him.</p><p>“You were amazing,” Riku exhaled, both hands cupping the sides of Sora’s head to stroke away the dirt smudges and a little trickle of blood from a cut. He wasn’t able to cast a healing spell anymore, and while that thought churned his stomach a little, Meow Wow and Komory Bat did it for him, engulfing both of them in a large, neon-green bubble just for them.</p><p>Riku smiled down as Sora beamed up.</p><p>But as much as Riku wanted to bask in this victory, this wasn’t over yet. He looked up, surveying the battleground around them. They were in a large empty patch where Chernabog had just been, but further away, the sorcerers and dragons were still fighting the army of Nightmares. Sora spun around in his arms to watch with him.</p><p>There were still <em>so many</em> after what must have been close to an hour. Was there no end to them? That wasn’t possible… was it?</p><p>“What should we do?” There was a hint of panic in Sora’s voice, and his eyes were wide as he looked back up at Riku.</p><p>Riku sighed, pushing down the feeling of hopelessness over the numbers of enemies that were still all around them. “Nothing to do but keep fighting.”</p><p>Sora shook his head. “There must be something we can do. We can defeat more Nightmares, but it looks like an endless wave at this point. And meanwhile, he’s just…” Sora looked up at where the Iegur was overlooking the battle. “He’s just <em>sitting</em> there. He’s the one controlling all these Nightmares, if we defeat <em>him</em>, the Nightmares will have lost their commander!”</p><p>Suddenly, an idea began to form in Riku’s head. “Ohh, wait. Sora, do you remember all that stuff he said back at the beginning of the battle?”</p><p>“About putting this world asleep?”</p><p>“Yeah. Didn’t he say he was trying to protect it? But— But the Symphony of Sorcery as we know it… <em>All</em> the worlds as we know them, we already saved them. But he doesn’t know that. What if he thinks he’s actually… doing the right thing?”</p><p>Sora looked up at him, realisation dawning on his face. “Riku!”</p><p>“Iegur!” Riku called out, focusing his attention back on the cure dragon. He turned his head towards them, eight glowing eyes piercing into them, even from far away. “Stop this! You’re not saving the Symphony of Sorcery, you’re destroying it!”</p><p>
  <em>This world can never wake up.</em>
</p><p>“You’re wrong! It has to wake up! It has to go back to the waking realm. It can’t stay asleep forever, it’ll <em>die</em>.”</p><p><em>I’m fixing it</em>.</p><p>“But you’re not fixing anything! All the worlds are losing their magic, because of you. Like Master Yen Sid said. I know you can feel this, too.”</p><p>
  <em>There is darkness in the waking realm. I have to heal this world by sleep. I have to protect it.</em>
</p><p>But his telepathic voice had lost some of its earlier fierce determination, and Riku could feel the doubt beginning to creep in, if only a little.</p><p>“It’s okay,” Sora said, his voice ringing out clearly. When Riku glanced sideways, he saw that some of the Nightmares had paused mid-battle, wavering in their resolve. He took that as a good sign. “There is darkness out there, yes. But there is also light. Me and Riku… and our friends… We <em>saved</em> the worlds, all of them. They’ve all woken up and gone back to how they’re supposed to be.”</p><p>
  <em>You… saved them?</em>
</p><p>“We’re sort of from the future. I don’t know exactly how we’re here,” Riku said, more calmly than he felt. More and more of the Nightmares paused their actions, looking up at the cure dragon as his spiked forelegs gripped harder against the stones of the tower’s walls. “It seems like someone drew us into the past, back when this world was asleep. Sora and I have a power that allows us to travel beyond the normal boundaries of the worlds, it’s called the power of waking. You have to help us wake this world back up. The balance of everything depends on it. We cannot allow magic to disappear from the worlds altogether.”</p><p>
  <em>But this world… Asleep, it’s safe.</em>
</p><p>Riku shook his head. “Even in dreams, you’ll still face nightmares. Look around you.”</p><p>There was a pause, as now all sounds of battle faded around them, all the Nightmares and sorcerers pausing to watch Sora and Riku negotiate with Iegur.</p><p>“But if the world is awake, you can get more help to face them!” Riku continued. “We have more people out there like Sora and me, keyblade wielders who can help you battle the darkness and the Heartless out there.”</p><p>
  <em>But even if we wake up, and even if you help with the creatures with no heart… there’s always new danger. If we sleep forever, we can ignore all of that. We will be safe.</em>
</p><p>Sora shook his head, his face serious. “That’s not how it works, Iegur. If there’s something scary, if there’s danger, you can’t just close yourself off and pretend it doesn’t exist. You have to be brave and face it. It’s okay to be scared, too.”</p><p>Riku turned his head to look down at Sora, who glanced back up at him, smiling.</p><p>“You taught me that, Riku. I can be scared and brave at the same time. And that’s okay. As long as you face your fears and be brave.”</p><p>Sora’s unwavering voice, the affection on his face, his determined eyes… Riku reached out and pressed a hand against the side of his face. But before he could say anything, there was a commotion behind them, and Riku spun around.</p><p>His eyes widened as he saw a rainbow-coloured blur flying through the air, rushing straight for them, followed by the shape of another dragon. He heard Sora’s audible gasp.</p><p>
  <em>Lux, no!</em>
</p><p>But obviously, it was too late. The baby omni dragon soared through the air, almost too fast to see, getting closer and closer to them.</p><p>“Oh, no…” Sora said. “He was supposed to be far away… Why is he here?”</p><p><em>Sorry. I tried. Tried to stop him</em>.</p><p>Tyrsat… </p><p>Mere seconds later, Lux crashed into Riku’s chest, sending him yards backwards across the crater they were standing in. Riku’s chest hurt from the impact, and then as he landed on his back, all the wind knocked out of him, he struggled to breathe for a moment. Still, instinct made him wrap his arms around Lux, curling his body protectively around him as he looked back up at the castle’s tower, where Iegur was watching down on them.</p><p>“Riku! Lux!” Sora was at his side in a flash, a hand on his shoulder to check on him, and a worried frown on his face. “Oh, Lux, what are you doing here…”</p><p>
  <em>So—ra! Ri—ku!</em>
</p><p>“That’s right.” Sora dropped to his knees, reaching for Lux as well. “Those are our names.”</p><p>“Sora,” Riku whispered. “We have to get him out of here. It’s way too dangerous for him…”</p><p>Sora nodded. “We’ll protect him.”</p><p>When Riku scrambled to his knees, assessing the danger they were in, Iegur was still only watching them. And there was something almost… <em>hopeful</em> in his demeanour now. Riku held his breath.</p><p>
  <em>That’s an omni dragon.</em>
</p><p>Sora stood, facing Iegur again. “That’s right. His name is Lux. It means light. Because wherever there is darkness, there is always light, too. And the light makes everything brighter. It brings hope and a new future.”</p><p>Riku stayed on his knees with Lux in his arms, his gaze flicking from Sora’s brave, determined face to the cure dragon’s faltering grip as his body almost visibly deflated.</p><p>
  <em>Even awake… We can defeat the darkness?</em>
</p><p>“Yes!” Sora called out. “You gotta lift the sleeping spell, <em>please.</em>”</p><p>
  <em>It will heal? We will be safe?</em>
</p><p>Riku finally managed to get his breathing back under control, and now that neither he nor Sora nor Lux, seemed to be in immediate danger, he unfurled his body from around the baby dragon. Still holding Lux in his arms, he got back to his feet and stood next to Sora.</p><p>“I promise,” Riku said. “All the worlds will be safe, in the end. It’ll be difficult, and you’ll have to fight the darkness and the Heartless. You’ll have to be brave to overcome it all. But it’ll make you stronger in the end, too.”</p><p>There was a long pause, and everyone on the battlefield seemed frozen, time an illusion as they all waited for Iegur’s answer.</p><p>“Trust me,” Riku added. “I know.”</p><p>Then, one by one, the Nightmares started to fade in flashes of light. Only a few at first, but then faster and faster, until the entire battlefield awash in a golden glow as all their enemies disappeared. Riku looked up at the cure dragon, who spread his wings and took to the skies, a few stones crumbling off the tower as he pushed off.</p><p>“Riku!” Sora gasped.</p><p>As Iegur started circling over the castle and what remained of the battlefield, the cobwebs on the castle slowly dissolved as the Nightmares dissipated, leaving behind the giant grey stone structure, completely intact the way it must’ve been before. Archways towered over them, and glass windows now shone in the light. Other decorations, such as the overhanging crenelations, became visible once more.</p><p>Something all around them seemed to <em>shift</em> as the sleeping spell was lifted completely, and with it, the remainder of the curse. Some heaviness was lifted from Riku, too, some ache inside of him that he’d felt from the moment they first entered into this world.</p><p>He glanced sideways and watched Sora breathe a sigh, too, his shoulders sagging, his face lighting up in relief.</p><p>When the transformation of the castle was complete, a telepathic somber wave of exhaustion washed over Riku, and after a final sweep over the grassy field, Iegur flew off.</p><p>Darrid let out a cry, turning in the air to go after him, but Riku spoke up.</p><p>“Let him go…”</p><p>
  <em>But why?</em>
</p><p>“I think… I think he needs some time alone… You can go find him when he’s ready.”</p><p>With Iegur gone and the Nightmares back into the void they’d come from, all the sorcerers and dragons seemed to exhale one large sigh of relief.</p><p>It was over. It was finally over.</p><p>Lux squirmed in Riku’s arms, reaching his snout up to lick across Riku’s chin and cheeks.</p><p>
  <em>Ri—ku!</em>
</p><p>Riku laughed in relief, suddenly swaying on his feet as he pressed his face in Lux’s soft, warm fur. And then Sora was there to hug them both, providing Riku with a solid shoulder to lean on as all of his relief and fatigue rushed over him at once.</p><p>“Sora,” he whispered as Sora’s hands made their way into his hair and gently pulled him up so they could look at each other. “Sora, we <em>did it</em>.”</p><p>
  <em>So—ra!</em>
</p><p>Lux’s happy cry reverberated inside Riku, and he bit back the sudden rush of tears and emotions. Sora still saw, of course, reaching his hand around to brush over Riku’s cheek, and Riku shivered.</p><p>“Riku…” Sora muttered, his voice rough and full of empathy.</p><p>They clung to each other, not caring for anything else around them. Riku closed his eyes, pressing his face into the top of Sora’s hair, trying to hold back the tears from spilling into his hair. He shook with the force of repressed sobs during long, long moments during which Sora just held him tighter, whispering “I love you, we’re okay, I love you so much, Riku…”</p><p>Riku couldn’t say the words back, but he <em>thought</em> them, over and over.</p><p>After a long moment, during which time had seemed frozen, a cough came from behind Riku. He lifted his head and turned his body half round, watching Master Yen Sid and Merlin both smile at them, Maeldin and Nim just behind them.</p><p>“That was masterfully done,” Master Yen Sid said.</p><p>Riku gave him a shaky smile.</p><p>“Thanks!” Sora said. </p><p>Then, suddenly, Lux started wiggling in his arms, his cries becoming more and more frantic.</p><p>“Lux?” Sora asked. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>When Riku turned around again, he saw what had happened. The large wooden doors of the main gate had opened, and just outside on the castle grounds stood two large dragons. Riku immediately recognised them for what they were — they looked just like Lux, only much larger, with massive yellow horns and the brightest of pink eyes.</p>
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  <p>-- Art by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/amberwing/pseuds/amberwing">amberwing</a></p>
</div><p>Riku let Lux go, and the baby dragon half-flew, half-hopped towards his parents, crying out non-stop. Both omni dragons rushed over towards him, and they met in the middle, wings of magic curling all around Lux, their snouts pressing into his body.</p><p>Riku wrapped an arm around Sora’s shoulder, drawing him into his side. Sora looked away from the dragons’ reunion to press his forehead against Riku’s collarbone for a second. Then he gazed up, his face bright and unguarded. Riku exhaled slowly.</p><p>“Hey, Riku?”</p><p>Riku hummed.</p><p>“Even without magic, I think we’re pretty awesome.”</p><p>Riku let out a shuddery breath of air, pressing his forehead against Sora’s for a moment, his eyes falling shut. “We are, aren’t we?”</p><p>Lost in each other for another moment, Riku started when audible gasps of surprise and amazement erupted all around them. He looked up, turning back towards the castle gates, where — behind the omni dragons — a crowd of people spilt out, gathering in the courtyard. Some of them turned their gaze on the group of sorcerers in surprise, some of them watched the omni dragons’ reunion. Then, all of them parted as three figures emerged from the castle gates, and there was no need to guess who they were.</p><p>Master Yen Sid and Merlin stepped forward, both of them bowing towards King Rodarch, Queen Ganieda and Prince Da.</p><p>Riku let go of Sora to give an awkward bow as well, seeing all of the sorcerers around them do the same. Even the dragons inclined their heads from where they had settled down on the field.</p><p>“Master Yen Sid,” King Rodarch called out. “What is… What is going on here?”</p><p>“King Rodarch,” Master Yen Sid answered. “That… is a long story.”</p><p>Queen Ganieda caught sight of her brother and sister, and she ran over to both of them, wrapping Merlin in a hug. “It’s been too long.” She looked up, her face a soft mask of surprise and wonder. “Nimue…”</p><p>Nim grimaced, biting her lip and shaking her head minutely. “Sister…”</p><p>“Merlin, can’t you at least tell us the short version of what happened?” King Rodarch spoke up again. “Why are you all here? We just woke up, all of us at the same time, and my body is stiff as if I haven’t moved my muscles in months.”</p><p>Merlin nodded thoughtfully, letting go of his sister to take a step backwards. “You were asleep for almost two months, Your Majesty. It’s only thanks to Sora and Riku here that we managed to wake up the entire castle, you and your family and the omni dragons and staff included…”</p><p>Master Yen Sid nodded. “We really cannot thank Sora and Riku enough. There is no telling what would have happened had they not shown up when they did.”</p><p>Riku flushed a little as all the attention shifted to him and Sora. “It was… nothing, really. We were just doing our duty as keyblade wielders.”</p><p>“Well, whatever you did… And whatever happened, if Merlin and Master Yen Sid say we owe you boys our thanks, we owe you our thanks.” King Rodarch bowed his head, a gesture that was copied by every other person on the field.</p><p>Then, a younger voice spoke up. “Hey! I remember you! You were in my dream!”</p><p>Prince Da stepped out from behind his father’s large frame, and he came up to stand in front of Sora and Riku. The Prince looked around Sora’s age, maybe a little younger. His sandy brown hair was sleep-ruffled, but his eyes — almost as blue as Sora’s — were bright and awake. He was wearing a white jacket with gold lining and dark brown leggings and boots. He tilted his head, his gaze flicking from Sora to Riku.</p><p>“You dreamed about us?” Sora asked, blinking.</p><p>“Yeah! I don’t remember exactly what happened. It was the strangest dream. I knew there was something wrong, I felt like I was swimming and swimming, yet I could never reach the shore. And when I knew something was wrong, my heart called out for help.”</p><p>He crossed his arms, his forehead wrinkling in thought.</p><p>“And then I saw you. You were in a strange place. There was sand all around you. And you met a dragon.” He looked over Sora’s shoulder to where Tyrsat was resting by his mother’s side. “You met <em>him</em>. After that, I don’t remember anything anymore. I was no longer able to swim, and I sank. Everything turned dark, and then…”</p><p>“You felt it too, Sora, didn’t you?” Riku asked, turning to Sora. “You felt the tug on your heart that led us here. You were pulled into the dream, and I think the power of waking made it possible for us to travel into a past version of this world… This is the timeline of when all the worlds were still asleep. The power of waking is meant to traverse hearts to reach worlds.”</p><p>“And then we made it possible for this world to wake up?” Sora asked, his words coming out between a statement and a question. “Why did we end up on the Destiny Islands first?”</p><p>“Because that’s the world we have the strongest connection to. Besides, it was the world that Tyrsat got sent to.”</p><p>
  <em>Iegur sent me.</em>
</p><p>“Iegur sent you to the Destiny Islands? But why?”</p><p>
  <em>I saw him. I saw him cast the sleeping spell. He sent me through the door. Downstairs in the castle. I also saw them.</em>
</p><p>Tyrsat turned his gaze on where Maeldin and Nim were standing.</p><p>
  <em>They stole the egg.</em>
</p><p>Nim let out an uncomfortable sound, while Maeldin actually smirked a little.</p><p>“That turned out to be a good thing though, right? If we hadn’t stolen the egg, it would’ve been sent to sleep with the rest of the castle, and Lux would never have been born.”</p><p>Master Yen Sid let out a long sigh. “Good or bad, you and Nimue fought bravely today. If King Rodarch requires more knights for his King’s Guard, you would make two fine candidates.”</p><p>“I will consider it,” King Rodarch said.</p><p>“Also, Merlin,” Queen Ganieda added. “It’s been so long. I have really missed you. Will you not stay as well? We could really use another advisor on the council. Someone to help us with the dragons and balancing the magic in the world again.”</p><p>Merlin nodded, smiling at the King and Queen, and then at Nimue and Maeldin. “Thank you, sister. I think I’d like that.”</p><p>Sora leaned into Riku’s shoulder, and Riku could feel both of them shaking with exhaustion. It was hard to keep standing, even harder to keep his eyes open. It had been a tough battle, and there was <em>so much</em> to wrap his head around. And all he wanted was to go home and sleep for a week straight.</p><p>Sora voiced his thoughts, as he mumbled, “Can we go home now?”</p><p>“Are you sure you don’t want to stay a little longer?” Prince Da asked. “We’ll hold a banquet in your honour tonight, and we have very luxurious guest rooms.”</p><p>“Please stay for another day,” Queen Ganieda added. “You can go home tomorrow morning, well-rested and fed. Besides, we would love to hear the story from your side.”</p><p>Lux had disentangled himself from his parents’ embrace and bounded over.</p><p>
  <em>So—ra! Ri—ku!</em>
</p><p>Riku chuckled, smiling down at the baby omni dragon. “Hi, Lux.”</p><p>Lux jumped up and down, then started chasing his own tail around in little circles.</p><p>Riku turned to Sora. “What do you say? Shall we stay one more night?”</p><p>“Okay,” Sora agreed. “One more night.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>They were shuffled to a bathroom and then a bedroom through massive stone hallways, decorated with tapestries of silk and paintings depicting dragons flying through the air and landscapes of snow-covered mountains and lush forests. Thankfully, they were given time for a long nap before they were fetched and escorted to the banquet hall, where the rest of the afternoon and the evening passed in a blur of conversation and plate after plate of the most wonderful food Riku had ever seen or tasted. </p><p>There were platters of smoked and roasted meats, roasted chicken with honey-glazed potatoes, vegetable pies, soft cheeses, bean salads, and all sorts of sauces and fruits. He lost count of the number of courses being served and the number of people who came to sit next to them or across from them to hear all about their adventures and the things they’d done.</p><p>The nap seemed to have refreshed Sora at least — or maybe it was the massive amounts of food he was inhaling — and even though it was all a little overwhelming, Riku had to admit it was… <em>fun</em>, too. Prince Da was an eager listener, staying at their table all throughout the entire banquet, wanting to hear every single one of their adventures. When Riku got to the part where they battled Nim and Maeldin on a mountain top, he insisted Riku tell that part of the story twice because he liked it so much. </p><p>Even though Prince Da’s parents were very adamant about not allowing either of them any alcohol, halfway through the banquet, he charmed a number of the servants into slipping mead into their cups instead of grape juice.</p><p>Sora grinned, and Riku figured they’d earned it, after the weeks they’d had.</p><p>However, talking for hours was almost as exhausting as fighting and travelling, and after the fruit tarts they received for dessert, Sora’s renewed energy abandoned him again and he fell asleep on Riku’s shoulder. Riku had just about enough energy left to excuse them both and carry a sleeping Sora back to their room, bridal style, Sora’s arms tucked into his chest and his face turned into Riku’s freshly washed tunic. Riku only staggered once in his own exhaustion, right before he placed Sora underneath the covers.</p><p>They slept for twelve hours straight and woke up when the sun was already high in the sky.</p><p>After breakfast (lunch), it was Tyrsat who led them down to the door in the basement of the castle. The massive castle vault down there was enough to fit everyone who they wanted to say goodbye too, humans and dragons alike. </p><p>Master Yen Sid and Merlin shook their hands, as well as King Rodarch and Queen Ganieda. Nim and Maeldin wished them good luck, and then Prince Da gave both of them a brief hug and another heartfelt,“Thank you.”</p><p>Syphidel, Largyrem, and Tailu received nods, Darrid a long, tender hug.</p><p>Saying goodbye to Lux was especially difficult.</p><p>Even though he wasn’t theirs, it still felt like that a little. Lux carried an actual piece of them inside of him: their magic. So they smothered him with kisses and cuddles until he chirped and jumped out of their arms, shaking himself like a wet dog to get his fur fluffed out again.</p><p>“Bye, Lux,” Sora said with a final wave. “We’re gonna miss you. But who knows. Maybe we’ll see you again someday. Stranger things have happened!”</p><p>“Goodbye, Lux,” Riku smiled. “Take care of our magic for us. I hope it’ll make you big and strong when you grow up.”</p><p>With Lux’s final cry ringing in their ears, they turned their attention back towards the door that they’d been sent through all those weeks ago on the Destiny Islands, only now they were on the other side of it. Master Yen Sid’s educated guess was that it would bring Sora and Riku to the Destiny Islands again and that from there, they’d be able to make their way back home.</p><p>It was a fitting end to their adventure: Tyrsat who had led them here in the first place, who had sent them on their path, leading them back to this door.</p><p>“Goodbye, Tyrsat,” Riku said softly. “Take care.”</p><p>When Sora hugged Tyrsat around his neck, Riku followed his example.</p><p>
  <em>Goodbye Riku. Goodbye Sora.</em>
</p><p>Sora turned to Riku, holding his left hand out for Riku to take as he called for Ultima with his right. As everyone watched, Riku summoned Braveheart, and both of them directed their keyblades at the door. With a beam of light, the keyhole unlocked, and the door swung upon towards them. Behind it, they could see the cave of the Secret Place.</p><p>“Are you ready to go home?” Riku asked, squeezing Sora’s hand.</p><p>“Yes,” Sora said, heartfelt.</p><p>They stepped through the door together—</p><p>—And were met by two pairs of wide eyes, one aqua, one blue, peeking around the cave opening.</p><p>“Hey!” the young version of Sora called, letting go of his reservation and skipping into the cave. “It’s you! You came back!”</p><p>“You’re Simon and Ralph…” </p><p>Riku blinked in confusion for a moment before remembering the false names they had given their younger selves.</p><p>Young Riku joined his friend, standing so close that their arms were pressed together. “You were gone a <em>really</em> long time. Where did you go?”</p><p>“Aha,” Sora said, crossing his arms with a grin. “Do you wanna know?”</p><p>Both young Sora and young Riku nodded eagerly.</p><p>Riku sighed. He supposed they could tell everything one more time.</p><p>“I hope you guys like long stories…”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Faux drew super cute art of the scene at the beginning of the chapter. Please <a href="https://twitter.com/TheFauxsynder/status/1275899293778444289?s=20">check it out here</a>! ❤️</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Waking Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>We're at the end!! I can't believe I wrote a fic that is (almost) 90k AGAIN omg. I want to thank everyone who went on this amazing journey with me. It's not always been easy, writing during a pandemic, and juggling multiple projects, but the support of everyone who kudo'd and especially everyone who commented, meant the world to me.</p><p>I especially want to thank Retto for their unwavering support and their amazing art. It's been a fantastic project to do together, and without them, this story wouldn't be what it is!</p><p>The same goes for Paion. Her dragon designs are phenomenal, and her support was beyond invaluable. Thank you for helping my fic and the dragons come alive!!</p><p>Steph was a saint, betaing all these chapters and helping me through the plot resolution when I got stuck... Thank you SO much!!</p><p>And finally, I wanna thank everyone who left a comment on this story. I'm sure you all know this, but I love comments, and they're a big part of why I keep writing. You all made me push to work harder and do better. So THANK YOU!</p><p>I hope you enjoy the final chapter :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Wow, <em>really</em>?” young Sora asked, his eyes wide as saucers. He was sitting on his knees in the sand, his body tilted forward so much it was a surprise he didn't topple over.</p><p>Sora nodded, grinning as he spread his arms, pretending they were dragon wings. “And then the cure dragon launched himself into the air, swooped over the battlefield, lifted the curse, and the castle came back alive. And all the Nightmares disappeared.”</p><p>“Cool…” young Riku exhaled, his face slack and full of wonder. He shifted, going from sitting cross-legged to drawing up his legs to wrap his arms around, resting his chin on his knee. “And they lived happily ever after?”</p><p>“And they lived happily ever after,” Sora confirmed.</p><p>The four of them were seated underneath a cluster of palm trees on the beach, Sora and Riku side by side on one of the larger rocks, and their younger past-selves in the sand at their feet. The sun was slowly going down, a large golden-yellow ball above the ocean, lighting up both the water and the sky in bright oranges and pinks. The ever-moving waves created a soothing background sound so familiar that Sora barely heard it anymore, calming and peaceful, surging in and out.</p><p>The moment Sora and Riku had stepped through the door and back into the Secret Place, their clothes changed back to the outfits they had worn all those weeks ago: their sleeping outfits from the night they went to bed and rolled into this crazy ride of an adventure. Sora was back in his navy shorts and red t-shirt, Riku wearing his white t-shirt and grey sweatpants. He'd rolled them up to halfway up his calves the moment they set foot outside of the Secret Place and the damp coolness of the cave was replaced with smouldering summer island heat.</p><p>Sora had worried that their younger selves would recognise them like this — since he hadn't had any time to perform his world magic spell before they were discovered — but the two kids had just taken it in stride. The same way they'd taken in stride that <em>Simon and Ralph</em> had shown up again in the middle of their Secret Place. (If Sora was honest, he had forgotten their made-up names, so he was glad that young Riku had reminded him.)</p><p>“That was such a cool story,” young Sora exclaimed, clapping his hands together now that it was over. Before long though, his applause died out and slowly his expression fell a little. “But I'm sorry the cure dragon was so sad… I hope he can make a friend now…”</p><p>“Don't worry,” Riku said, with a sideways glance at Sora. “Sometimes somebody makes bad choices because they’re lonely or afraid. But in the end, when they've still got others who care about them… and who want them to be okay… they will be okay, too.”</p><p>Sora smiled back, recognising the thinly veiled allegory for what it was. “And I’m sure that the other dragons will forgive him and that they can be friends again.”</p><p>Sora's smile turned sappier the longer he and Riku looked at each other until eventually, Sora had to look away towards where his toes were digging into the cool sand beneath his feet, his cheeks hot and his bangs hiding his eyes. He felt Riku reach out to run a gentle hand through his hair, and his blush deepened as he leaned into the touch. Riku usually wasn't so open with his affection when other people were around, and Sora wasn't sure how to react to it. He liked it. A lot.</p><p>When he looked up, young Sora still looked a little crest-fallen, but young Riku had taken one of his hands, and they held their joined hands between them, lying on the beach. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, young Sora broke into a blinding smile again.</p><p>“I hope all the dragons find a best friend. Just like me and Riku!”</p><p>Sora tilted his head, his eyes crinkling in fondness and amusement. It really was strange, seeing himself from so many years ago, but endearing too, in a way. Like Riku had told him before, he'd been so open and joyful as a child, always ready to see the good in things. He hoped he still was like that. He wanted to try and always be like that.</p><p>“Sora! Riku!” came a male voice from over by the wooden dock. “Where are you?”</p><p>“That's my dad!” young Sora exclaimed, jumping to his feet, then spinning around to pull on both of Riku's arms to heave him up with him. “We gotta go. Bye Simon! Bye Ralph!”</p><p>“Wait!” Riku exclaimed as they were already preparing to run off. “Here, don't forget your backpack.” He handed the blue bag with the yellow paopu fruit on it to young Sora. “It served us well. Thank you.”</p><p>“Thank you for the story,” young Riku called politely over his shoulder, even as his friend already tried to pull him away. “Bye!”</p><p>Both boys ran off towards the wooden dock together, and Sora stared after them with a grin. Then, right before young Sora and Riku would have disappeared behind the last palm tree, they paused. Sora watched young Riku say something to his friend, and young Sora remained standing there with his hands behind his back as young Riku ran back over to them.</p><p>“Hey,” Riku said softly, as his younger self stood before them again, breathing hard from his sprint. Sora noticed the boy wasn't meeting either of their eyes, his gaze shifting from the rock they were sitting on to the bottom of the palm tree next to them.</p><p>“What's wrong?” Sora gently encouraged.</p><p>“Uhm…” young Riku started, still not looking at them.</p><p>“It's okay, you can ask us,” Riku added.</p><p>“Well, it's just, uhm…” young Riku suddenly looked up, his hands clasped tightly in front of him. A soft breeze blew his silver hair across his pink cheeks. “You’re boyfriends… right?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Sora said gently. Next to him, he felt Riku stiffen in preparation of what was to come.</p><p>“So it's okay… tolikeaboy?” The last words came out strung together in a rush, and it took a second before Sora understood what he was saying. Then he beamed at him, understanding and warmth all wrapped into a single expression.</p><p>“Absolutely,” Sora said, heartfelt. “It's <em>more</em> than okay. You can like whoever you like, girl or boy. It doesn't matter. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise.”</p><p>“Really?” young Riku whispered.</p><p>Sora nodded, trying to catch his eye, at which he succeeded for a moment, before the boy looked back towards the sand again, his cheeks even redder than before.</p><p>“Really. I promise.”</p><p>Sora had to push down his instinctive urge to slide off his rock to hug the boy, remembering all too well how uncomfortable Riku was with touch from strangers, even back when he was little. And technically, he was a stranger to this version of Riku. Instead, he smiled his brightest, most reassuring smile until young Riku met his eyes again, if only for a second.</p><p>“Okay!” he exhaled, and the relief on his face was unmistakable. “Thank you!”</p><p>Then he turned around again and took off like a laser, quickly racing back towards young Sora at full pace. Sora watched as they reunited, smiled at each other, and then turned around the last palm tree in the row.</p><p>He turned towards Riku next to him on the rock, who had his neck bowed and his face buried in his hands.</p><p>Sora didn't have the heart to tease him, instantly knowing what he must be thinking, <em>feeling</em>, at seeing his younger self ask that question of them. Instead, he shifted closer across the smooth surface of the rock, wrapping his arms tightly around Riku's shoulders. In response, Riku turned his body towards Sora, bending his head further down to press his face into the side of Sora's neck. There, he breathed hot, short exhales against Sora's already warm skin, and Sora shivered.</p><p>“It's okay, Riku,” he said, not knowing what other words to use. It seemed to work though, and Riku all but slumped against him, wrapping his arms around Sora's waist in return.</p><p>Finally, Riku composed himself to pull away, and he gave Sora a shaky smile. “I love you, you know.”</p><p>“I know.” Sora beamed up at him, bringing one hand to rest on his face, thumb brushing over his cheekbone, just the way he loved when Riku did to him. “I love you too.”</p><p>They pulled apart, both of them lost to their own thoughts for a moment as they turned their bodies to stare out across the endless ocean of their homeworld. The late afternoon breeze was still warm — the winds on the islands never turned cold, not even during the rainy season. </p><p>“You know, Riku,” Sora started after they had sat in silence for almost too long. “I was thinking, as we were telling our story just now…”</p><p>He fell silent again, watching the waves roll in and pull back, the way he and Riku must have done thousands of times before. He couldn't help but think that he'd had Riku at his side for almost every part of his life. Riku, who he knew better than anyone else in the world, who had held his hand when he got scared, who had taught him how to wield a wooden sword. Who had encouraged him every step of the way — either through gentle words or teasing jokes or just by standing at his side. Riku, who Sora had told all of his secrets when they grew up. Riku, who he'd always had unwavering faith in. Riku, who loved him, no matter what he did or who he was.</p><p>Riku turned to him, silently studying him as Sora searched for the right words.</p><p>“I was sad before, about losing my magic… But true strength is not in our magic or even in our keyblades. I knew this, yet somehow I forgot. But recounting the story, and then… seeing <em>them</em>, without any powers whatsoever, and they still love each other. And <em>we</em> love each other, Riku. True strength is the strength of our hearts, isn't it?”</p><p>“Yeah, Sora. You're right. Vulnerability, forgiveness, <em>love</em>. Those are the things that make up our strength and our legacy.”</p><p>Sora exhaled slowly, feeling something inside of him slot into place. Once, not even that long ago, he'd struggled so much with the question of what love was, and what all of these confusing feelings inside of him were. But Riku had helped him sort them out. He was <em>still</em> helping him sort them out, every day. They were still learning every day, and what a wonderful thing that they could share this together, learn <em>together</em>.</p><p>He hopped off the rock with a graceful leap and stepped closer to Riku, in between his legs so he could lean his hands on Riku’s thighs — and for a change, look <em>down</em> into his face. He grinned.</p><p>“You were right. Merlin was right. The greatest magic <em>is</em> love. It's what I think I was meant to learn a long time ago. But you know I'm always a bit slow.”</p><p>“Don't say that,” Riku said immediately. “Don't even think that. You're perfect just the way you are.</p><p>Sora's grin widened, and he leaned down to press his smile against Riku's lips in a kiss, one hand reaching up to tug a little on Riku's ponytail, tilting his head up a little more for a better angle. It was fun, kissing with a different height difference for a change, and Sora opened his mouth to deepen the kiss after only a few seconds. Riku reacted immediately, their tongues brushing each other as Riku's hands came up to tug Sora closer by the hem of his shirt.</p><p>“Mmmm,” Sora muttered happily, pleased to taste nothing but <em>Riku</em>, no sweet or bitter side taste. They hadn't eaten for several hours — they'd just drunk some of the water from the pool with the waterfall in the middle of the island. Riku smelled like sea breeze and Riku and <em>home</em>. Riku was always home, no matter where they were.</p><p>But still—</p><p>Regretfully, Sora pulled away, smirking a bit at the way Riku’s eyes were a little glazed over. But they’d have time for this — and for more, soon. Because as nice as this was, there was one thing he wanted even more now: to wake up inside their own bed again.</p><p>He stepped back, holding out a hand for Riku to take. Riku joined him, their feet shuffling across the grains of the perfect-white sand as they found their balance again, together.</p><p>“What do you say, Riku? A nap on the beach?”</p><p>“Oh, yes.” Riku smiled, then gave a wink that made Sora's heart skip a beat. “I thought you'd never ask.”</p><p>They lay down on a patch of shade-cooled sand, sheltered from the wind by the rocks, and Sora let Riku’s comforting hand in his hair and the sound of the waves lull him to sleep.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>When he woke up, Sora promptly opened his eyes wide. He felt Riku spooning him from behind, and while he'd learned that sometimes it was really nice to <em>not</em> rush in the morning but bask in Riku's calming heartbeat and the arms around his waist instead, now was not one of those moments.</p><p>He blinked into the darkness, and all his senses came rushing back as one. The flowery smell of their freshly laundered sheets, the dim light of the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, the whirring sound of the magic of the Tower that you only heard if you listened closely enough.</p><p>Sora shot up on the bed, watching around him. It was almost too dark to see, but it was unmistakably <em>their bedroom</em> nonetheless. He reached into his shorts pocket for his gummiphone, but when he took it out and pressed the home button, nothing happened. The battery had been dead for weeks, of course. He turned his head, gazing at the red letters of the alarm clock on their nightstand.</p><p>4:12 am.</p><p>As he heard Riku stir behind him, he reached over to press a button on the clock.</p><p>29 Jun.</p><p>“No way…” he whispered.</p><p>“What?” Riku asked groggily, sitting up with him and leaning over to rest his chin on top of Sora's head. He wrapped sleep-warm arms around Sora's shoulders.</p><p>“It's the same night we left. We were gone for <em>weeks</em>, but now we arrive back home during the same night. Isn't that weird?”</p><p>Riku hummed in agreement. “Yeah, but then… Not nearly the weirdest thing that's ever happened to us.”</p><p>“Okay, I guess that's true. And didn't Fairy Godmother also say that time flows differently in the sleeping realm? When she came to visit us?”</p><p>“She did, yeah,” Riku said.</p><p>“So we just got like… an extra free month added to our lives! Or I guess even more, didn't the same thing happen to us back during the Mark of Mastery?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Riku agreed. “I think we were inside the sleeping worlds for at least two weeks back then. And when we came back, it was still the same day as we started our exam.”</p><p>“Ugh,” Sora said, leaning back into Riku's chest. Riku accepted his weight easily, only shifting a little to better support himself against the mattress. “I feel like I aged two years, too, instead of just one night.”</p><p>He felt as well as hear the rumble of Riku's answering chuckle. “Well, you spent a year asleep in a pod, and then a year frozen inside crystal status. You can have a few dream weeks to make up some of the difference.”</p><p>“Rikuuuuu…” Sora pouted, though Riku was unable to see his face like this. Then he fell silent, his thoughts shifting involuntarily.</p><p>They'd talked before about the possibility of still having their magic in the waking realm after they woke up again. Riku hadn't thought it would happen, but all the same, Sora's heart sped up, and his breath hitched for a moment.</p><p>He didn't really want to try it, the thought alone of it not working filled him with a nauseating sense of dread, his stomach twisting. And even though he hadn't eaten for hours and there was nothing but water in his stomach, it still churned uncomfortably. But he <em>had</em> to try because he wanted to be sure.</p><p>He glanced up at the vague shape of the glowing stars on the ceiling. The small ones were barely pinpricks, the largest ones as large as his palm. There was the crescent shape of a moon, and two shooting stars chasing each other across the ceiling.</p><p>Their room was the perfect temperature — as always. Somehow, the Tower knew exactly what they wanted, and now, it was a perfect 17° Celsius, the ideal temperature for sleeping. He didn't <em>need</em> blizzard crystals on the ceiling. But he thought back to the glistening magical crystals in Glinda's study room and their guest room back in the school of sorcery, and he swallowed against the sudden clenching in his throat.</p><p>He raised a hand towards the ceiling and whispered, “Blizzaga.”</p><p>There was no rush of magic from his core to his fingertips, there were no sparkles, no crystals of ice. There was only the continued faint hum of the Tower, and Riku's sharp intake of breath behind him. Sora closed his eyes. He hadn't <em>really</em> expected it, but it was disappointing anyway…</p><p>“I had to try,” he whispered faintly, the words catching in his throat.</p><p>Riku hugged him tighter, pulling him back with him across the mattress until Riku was leaning against the wall and Sora was between his legs. Riku tightened both his arms and his legs around Sora, providing him with a safe, comforting cocoon that Sora melted back into.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Riku asked gently.</p><p>“I'm alright,” Sora said, trying to breathe around the tight feeling inside of him. It had already faded a little.</p><p>“You don't have to pretend,” Riku continued. “If you're not, I wanna know.”</p><p>“I know,” Sora said, because he had learned a lot of things in the sleeping realm this time, and this was one of them. “Okay, maybe I'm not completely alright <em>now</em>, not yet. But I will be. I know that.”</p><p>Riku pressed a kiss to his temple, nuzzling into the soft hairs there for a moment. Then, he stiffened for a moment before unwrapping his limbs from around Sora.</p><p>“What?” Sora said, part alarm and part surprise.</p><p>“Come on,” Riku slid off the bed, and his voice was filled with barely repressed excitement all of a sudden. He extended his hand towards where Sora was left bemoaning the sudden coldness against his back. “I have an idea!”</p><p>“What?” Sora asked again, reaching for Riku's hand and letting himself be pulled up. “What is it?”</p><p>“You'll see. Come, follow me.”</p><p>Riku pulled him out of the room, their feet quiet against the soft, wool carpet until they made it into the hallway. There, the wooden panels created quiet pit-pat sounds as their feet moved. Riku kept a tight hold on his hand, and Sora couldn't help but feel his excitement as well. Riku had gotten so much better at showing his emotions, yet it was still a surprise sometimes to see him be so unguarded with them.</p><p>They weaved through hallway after hallway, left, right, right, right until they came to the main staircase, which Riku started up, and Sora started to get an idea of where they were headed.</p><p>They went up for a while, landing after landing until, finally, they arrived at the door to Master Yen Sid's study. The Tower's magic was more powerful here, the hum slowly having gotten louder the closer they got.</p><p>“Riku?” Sora asked, as Riku lay a hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly.</p><p>“Shh,” Riku replied, carefully pushing open the door.</p><p>He looked inside, and Sora came up to peer underneath his arm. Although the room was dim with the candles blown out, the star-shaped lights hanging from the ceiling still bathed the room in a golden glow. The space behind Master Yen Sid's desk was empty, which meant the old wizard was asleep in his bedroom. But now that they were here, what did Riku have in mind?</p><p>Riku stepped over the threshold, Sora only a step behind him. He closed the door behind them and was about to say something when a third voice spoke up.</p><p>“Hello Riku. Hello Sora.”</p><p>Riku jumped, turning around with a guilty look on his face. Sora snapped up straight for a second, before deflating when he saw who it was.</p><p>Fairy Godmother was seated in the corner of the room in one of Master Yen Sid's comfy chairs, a thick tome with a navy cover resting on her lap. She was smiling, but Sora still let out a half-nervous chuckle. </p><p>“It was Riku's idea to come here!”</p><p>“Oh, it doesn't matter whose idea it was, dear. I suspected you would find your way here after you woke up. It was a good idea.”</p><p>“Oh,” Sora said, then stepped closer, drawing Riku with him.</p><p>From up-close, he could read the silver swirly letters on the cover of the book. <em>Fantasia</em>.</p><p>“I figured…” Riku said, his voice low, but gaining in confidence as he spoke. “I figured that the first time we went into the Symphony of Sorcery, we also went in through a book. And I know Master Yen Sid keeps all sorts of books in his study, so I had hoped that we'd find the right one here.”</p><p>“So, does that mean you succeeded in your quest?” Fairy Godmother asked, raising herself from the chair and holding out the book so Riku could take it with his free hand. “Did you find out why you were in the Symphony of Sorcery? What the world wanted from you?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Sora said, glancing towards the book, realising suddenly what Riku intended for them to do. “We…”</p><p>When he wasn't able to voice his thoughts, Riku picked up the sentence for him. “We gave up our magic powers, probably forever, to remove the curse and wake up the sleeping Symphony of Sorcery.”</p><p>“Oh, Riku… Sora… What a difficult thing to do.”</p><p>She stepped forward and enveloped Riku into a hug, and Riku let go of Sora's hand to hug her back with both arms, book and all. Sora smiled as Riku relaxed against her, and his smile widened when Fairy Godmother extended her other arm towards Sora, and he stepped into their hug as well.</p><p>“You boys have been so brave. I'm so proud of you both.”</p><p>Sora suddenly felt too overwhelmed to speak, so he just nodded against her shoulder. He wrapped one arm around the small of Riku's back and one hand clenched into Fairy Godmother's robes. Hugging Fairy Godmother was different from hugging Riku; she was softer and touched him with more delicacy than Riku did.</p><p>“Now, then,” she said gently, letting them go. “Why don't you two try out this book, hm? If you saved the sleeping world, you woke it up. It should be back in the real world again, and you should be able to dive into it through this.”</p><p>Riku pursed his lips as he stepped back with a minute inclination of his head before making his way over towards Master Yen Sid's desk to place down the book. He carefully opened it, then summoned his keyblade at the same time that Sora held out his hand to summon his. With a short glance towards each other, they directed Ultima and Braveheart towards the book. Matching beams up light erupted from their keyblades, and a familiar rush surged over Sora. He had just enough sense of mind to grab at Riku’s elbow, and then—</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>His eyes shot open wide for the second time in as many hours, and he bolted upright into a seated position. The first thing he did was look around himself in search of Riku, his heart clenching in a familiar fear until he spotted him lying right behind him — pine green tunic, dark brown trousers and boots and all.</p><p>Sora watched Riku open his eyes with a groan and push himself to a seated position, cradling his head in his hands for a moment. “Ugh, you'd think I would have gotten <em>used</em> to this feeling by now…”</p><p>Despite Riku's headache, Sora launched himself into his lap, one arm around Riku's shoulders and the other one cradling the back of his head. “Riku, what a <em>good idea</em>, you're so smart!”</p><p>Riku laughed, hugging him back. “Yeah, yeah. Save the compliments for after.”</p><p>“After?” Sora asked, pulling back.</p><p>Riku gestured his head over Sora's shoulder, and Sora finally took a good look around him. They were sitting in the middle of a large field of grass, a scattering of tiny white and pink flowers all around them. The field was a bit of a slope, gently leading down towards a large lake, blue and brilliant and so bright with the sunlight reflecting in it that it almost hurt his eyes to look at.</p><p>“Wow…”</p><p>Riku pushed Sora off his lap and gracefully got to his feet, stretching with his arms above his head for a moment. Sora followed suit, coming up to stand by Riku's side.</p><p>“Hey, Riku, what did you mean, <em>after</em>?”</p><p>But before Riku could answer, there was a cry from up above, and Sora's eyes shot up, squinting against the bright blue sky and the dispersed white clouds. He twisted his head this way and that, but Riku saw him first. When Riku pointed, Sora followed his gaze. </p><p>Their omni dragon had grown; he was no longer as fluffy as he'd been the first time they'd seen him — but it was unmistakably him. The soft rainbow colours, the magical silver swirls of his wings, his horns much longer, but the same bright yellow.</p><p>“Lux!” Sora cried out, waving his hands as the dragon rushed towards them through the sky.</p><p>The dragon landed gracefully on the grass, his magical wings fading in a glow of light as he took two more steps towards him. By that time, Sora had shaken himself out of the stupor he was in, and he rushed forward, meeting Lux halfway. Lux was so much bigger now, the size of a small gummiship, and Sora could no longer hug him the way he once had. Instead, he threw his arms around Lux's neck, and Lux bent down to push his snout into Sora's tunic in exactly the same way he'd done when he was little.</p><p>
  <em>Sora? Riku?</em>
</p><p>“Yeah,” Riku said, coming up next to Sora to put a hand to the top of Lux's head. “Yeah, it's us.”</p><p>
  <em>I felt you! You came back!</em>
</p><p>“You remember?” Sora asked, surprise in his voice. Lux had still been a new-born dragon by the time they'd left him. Still, he was a <em>dragon</em>, and a powerful omni dragon at that. Sora had no idea how dragon memories worked.</p><p><em>I remember everything</em>.</p><p>“Lux…” Riku said, and Sora heard the myriad of emotions in his voice. “You've grown so big! You look amazing…”</p><p>“Hey Lux,” Sora said, pulling back to properly look at him again, a million thoughts and questions racing through his head. “Can you do all the magic spells now? How old are you? How have you been?”</p><p>A wave of amused joy washed over Sora, and he felt his face lit up with the sheer <em>happiness</em> that radiated from Lux.</p><p>
  <em>How are you here?</em>
</p><p>“There's a connection between our world and yours,” Sora said eagerly. “There's a book, and we only needed to unlock it and dive into it to find you. We're no longer in the past, too, by the looks of you. So much must have happened here!”</p><p>Lux nodded and settled down, lying down in a little half-moon amidst the flowers. Sora and Riku sat a few feet away, both of their heads still reeling from the shock of their trip followed by the delight of seeing Lux again.</p><p><em>I hope you like long stories</em>.</p><p>“We love them,” Sora said eagerly.</p><p>Lux explained everything that had happened in the Symphony of Sorcery over the twelve years that had passed between the battle for Fantasia Castle and their reunion today. </p><p>With the curse lifted, the Symphony of Sorcery had gotten all of its magical power back. The dragons had all agreed that a life of solitude — the way they had led for so long — was no longer what the world needed. They had started to visit each other's provinces more, making friends, and learning from each other. The sorcerers had come to visit the magical shrines again, taking care of them, restoring them. Planting flowers and repairing the cracks in the stones and the damage from the battles of the past.</p><p>There were Heartless, too, almost every day. But the combined strengths of the dragons and the sorcerers kept them at bay, and they rarely did any real damage or hurt anyone.</p><p>Tyrsat had been the first dragon to fly from province to province, encouraging more support and openness between dragons of each element. Merlin and Master Yen Sid had believed in this idea as well, and soon it wasn't all that rare anymore to see an aero dragon in the thunder province or a blizzard dragon in the fire province.</p><p>As soon as Lux had become old and strong enough to fly longer distances, he often went with Tyrsat, visiting all the provinces in turn.</p><p><em>Tyrsat is my best friend</em>.</p><p>Sora smiled at that, leaning into Riku's side a little more. “I'm really happy for you, Lux. Everyone deserves a best friend.”</p><p>“What happened to the other dragons?” Riku asked. “How are Darrid and Tailu, and Largyrem and Sydhipel?</p><p>
  <em>All good! They all fly everywhere. They fight and they make friends. We all love our new freedom.</em>
</p><p>“And what about…” Sora paused, almost afraid to ask the question.</p><p>“What about Iegur?” Riku finished for him.</p><p>
  <em>Iegur… He hid, in the cure province, for a long time. But then other dragons came to find him. They talked to him. Now he's not lonely anymore. He has friends. We all have friends.</em>
</p><p>“I'm so glad to hear that,” Sora exhaled a sigh of relief, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face.</p><p>“And what about your magic, Lux?” Riku asked.</p><p>
  <em>My magic?</em>
</p><p>Lux laughed, a bright and buoyant sound that lit up Sora from the inside out.</p><p>
  <em>I have all the magic elements. All the dragons taught me.</em>
</p><p>He got to his feet, all grace and slender limbs and pastel colours. He really was magnificent.</p><p>
  <em>I will show you what I have learned. Stand up. </em>
</p><p>Sora and Riku did, scrambling to their feet. Sora put his hands by his sides, his spine straight as if he was standing to attention for Master Yen Sid. He didn't know why, but somehow it felt like Lux was going to do something important.</p><p><em>Summon your keys</em>.</p><p>“Our keyb—” Sora started, but next to him, Braveheart was already in Riku's hand.</p><p>Sora, never one to be far behind, summoned Ultima. He raised it up to the skies — a familiar pose, the way he’d done at every one of the shrines where he’d cast his final spells — leaning the tip against the tip of Braveheart. He saw Riku give him a reassuring smile from the corner of his eye.</p><p>A wind picked up, gentle at first, but gaining in speed as it started to whirl around them. Sora gasped, but before he could say anything, the wind grew hot and cold at the same time, water splashing from it, and then there was a crackling sound as if someone had cast—</p><p>Sora looked back from Riku's amazed face towards Lux. He was standing on all fours, a look of concentration on his face, and suddenly Sora understood what he was doing. All the magical elements interwove into a complete spell — thunder, fire, water, blizzard, aero — and Sora <em>felt</em> them all around him in a way he hadn't felt in weeks. The spell’s power sizzled and flowed — around him, in the earth below him, trying to make its way into his clothes, his skin.</p><p>He gasped again as the final element completed the magic, a cure spell that coloured his vision green, leaves floating and glowing in the air around him. His keyblade started to shake in his hand, and it took all his strength to keep it upright and steady, the tip clinking against Riku's, the sound of metal against metal ringing in the air.</p><p>And then he <em>felt</em> it, for real.</p><p>Every one of his senses became engulfed in it, bright, powerful and <em>magical</em>. Not just around him, but <em>inside</em> of him this time, and he felt so happy he could cry with it. He did, too, he realised belatedly, his vision had gone blurry and his chest had gone tight as some hole inside of him was filled to the brim with this perfect, wonderful feeling.</p><p>The spell faded, leaving in its wake tingles all over and a warmth that was bone-deep. </p><p>Sora dropped to his knees, reaching blindly for Riku, and Riku was there — of course he was, he <em>always </em>was — and then they were both crying. Sora sobbed with all the emotions from the past weeks, all the things he'd learned and that had overwhelmed him. All the things he'd given up and had now received again, but <em>better</em> than he ever remembered them being.</p><p>He felt like the light, the beginning, he felt… <em>loved</em>.</p><p>He was vaguely aware of Lux curling himself around the both of them, pressing so close Sora could feel the softness of his fur, warm and familiar against the bare skin of his neck and his hands. He clung to Riku as tightly as Riku clung to him. Neither of them spoke, but they didn't need to.</p><p>The Symphony of Sorcery had thanked them for their sacrifice and repaid them in full.</p><p>Sora wasn't aware of how long they sat there, on their knees on the grass, basking in their newly received magic.</p><p>Lux was the one who got up first, shaking himself in a movement that was so achingly reminiscent of the very first time he’d done it that Sora teared up all over again.</p><p><em>Thank you</em>.</p><p>“No,” Riku said, shaking his head fervently. “Thank <em>you</em>. You've given us so much, and we've learned so much… And we'd do it all over again in a heartbeat, just like this.”</p><p>
  <em>Will you come visit?</em>
</p><p>“Of course!” Sora exclaimed. “Whenever we can! We can have adventures here, with you! We can help you with all the Heartless. And we've still got so many towns and cities to visit in all the provinces, too!”</p><p>“Sora's right. We'll come and visit you often. You're our friend, Lux.”</p><p><em>Then. Goodbye, Riku</em>.<em> Goodbye, Sora.</em></p><p>“We'll see you soon,” Riku promised.</p><p>Both drained and weakened from Lux's magic spell, Sora could feel it was time to go. He and Riku both waved at Lux, who smiled and inclined his head in a nod.</p><p>In a flash of light, they were transported back towards Master Yen Sid's study.</p><p>Sora was dizzy with vertigo, and when he opened his eyes, it took long moments for the world to stop spinning. His chest felt both heavy and light, his renewed magic coursing through his veins much stronger than it had ever been. But he was smiling before his vision even settled.</p><p>When it did, Fairy Godmother came back into focus, her head tilted to the side and one hand on her hip. She was smiling, too.</p><p>“Well?”</p><p>“It worked,” Riku said, a little breathless, and when he grabbed onto Sora's shoulder, he was leaning on him just a little too much. “Well, I hadn't expected it to work <em>so well</em>. We met him, Lux — that's the baby dragon we helped to hatch, and he—”</p><p>“He gave us <em>our magic back</em>,” Sora finished, beaming.</p><p>“Oh, that's <em>wonderful</em>. I'm so happy for you both.” She reached for the book on the desk, snapping it shut with a flourish.</p><p>She winked as she handed the book to Riku. “I think you should keep it. I'm sure you boys will be making much better use of it than Master Yen Sid. I will explain to him in the morning.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Riku said, heartfelt.</p><p>“Now, I'm sure you must be tired. We don't you boys get a few more hours of sleep? In the morning, everyone will want to hear all about your adventures. Better replenish your strengths before then. You know how many details Master Yen Sid always wants to hear.” She winked again, before summoning her wand.</p><p>“Goodbye, Fairy Godmother,” Riku said. “And thank you.”</p><p>“Goodbye, Fairy Godmother,” Sora echoed.</p><p>“Goodbye, Sora and Riku.” </p><p>She vanished in a golden glow of sparkles.</p><p>Their trek down the stairs was much faster than up, but then, those were the mysterious ways of the Tower. Sora had learned long ago where it must've gotten its name from. They made it back to their room, where Riku carefully lay down the book on the desk in the corner. He lingered with his hand on the cover while Sora slipped back into their bed.</p><p>When Riku turned back around, he was smiling — that soft and fond smile that only Sora ever got to see.</p><p>“Come here,” Sora pouted, making grabby hands in Riku's direction.</p><p>In a flash, Riku was at his side, under the blankets with him, and kissed him like their lives depended on it: tongue and teeth, rough and desperate with need and want and all the things they'd felt — were <em>still</em> feeling. Riku's shaking fingers were in his hair, a little too hard, but Sora didn't mind. In turn, Sora whined and grabbed at him, tugging until Riku was lying underneath him, Sora straddling his hips. His hair had gotten loose from its ponytail and flowed in silver waves around his head, against the white pillow, and Sora took a moment to just stare and admire him.</p><p>Riku blushed, but he didn't avert his gaze, looking back with just as many emotions on his face as Sora was sure he was showing on his.</p><p>Then, Sora relaxed into Riku's arms, letting his body go pliant until he was buried just off the side, their legs entwined, his heart across Riku's chest, one hand in Riku's hair and the other fisted tightly in his sleep shirt.</p><p>Sora inhaled long and deep, then exhaled slowly.</p><p>“Hey, Sora?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Do the spell again,” Riku said quietly, looking up at the ceiling and the faint glow of the stars there.</p><p>Sora didn't need to ask what he'd meant. He unfurled his fingers from Riku's shirt and lifted his left arm towards the ceiling.</p><p>“Blizzaga,” he whispered.</p><p>The magic surged out instantly from deep within him, and <em>oh</em>, he'd missed this feeling so much… The power, the tingle in his arms, the sheer <em>rush</em> of it… </p><p>A dozen crystals appeared out of nothing, in between the glow-in-the-dark stars, beginning from the ceiling and stretching down like stalactites. They reflected the glow from the artificial stars, a soft yellow-green that shone down on them and made Sora feel peaceful and warm. The room temperature dropped a little, the cold from the ice crystals radiating down on them. Still, he wasn't <em>cold</em>, because they had the blankets, and they had each other's body heat. It was <em>perfect</em>.</p><p>Sora couldn't contain the giddiness inside of him, wrapping both of his arms around Riku and squeezing as hard as he could. He could barely hold back the embarrassing squeak he wanted to let out, pressing his face into Riku's shoulder to stifle it.</p><p>“It worked,” Riku gasped, although if the gasp was from the force of Sora's hug or the wonder of the effective spell, Sora didn't know.</p><p>“I love you, Riku,” he said, his voice high-pitched and tearful. “I love you <em>so much</em>.”</p><p>“I love you, too, Sora.” Riku squeezed him back just as tightly. “I love you, too.”</p><p>Though he felt exhausted and stretched out, Sora wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep; too many emotions tumbled around in his head — relief and joy, thankfulness and love. But that was okay. They'd have all the time for sleep, now or later. They were home. They'd saved the worlds, once again, and they were <em>home</em>.</p><p>It had been such a wonderful adventure, and — Sora realised wholeheartedly — he wouldn't trade a single second of it for anything.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Come talk to me about Sora and Riku on <a href="https://twitter.com/fortheloveinyou">Twitter</a> :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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